The Rebuilding
by Kore Anesidora
Summary: Azula has been released from prison after two years and sent to the secure and secluded Kyoshi Island for the final stages of her rehabilitation. Will she be able to fight the internal madness, or will it consume her once and for all? TyZula
1. Chapter 1

**Salvete, omnes!**  
><strong>This is my first Avatar: the Last Airbender fic. I've always loved the show, and upon yet another re-watch of the series with a friend of mine that had never seen it, I decided to write a fanfic. Being a ShizNat writer, myself, and also dabbling in KnM, I thought it would be great fun to do a TyZula fic. <strong>

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine.**

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><p>Prison is a cage of lies.<p>

They all lied to her. The doctors. The guards. Her brother. Her hallucinations. All of them, naught but a seething mass of lies like so many insects swarming when their nest has been disrupted. They came to her and spoke and she was forced to listen for, as much as she wished it, she could not close her ears or her mind. Why could they not see that she just wanted to be left alone? Why could they not see that she just wanted it all to _end_?

The thought of such dulcet finality, continually denied her, yet so close she could taste on the tongue like a bitter-sweet draught of dark honey, drove her mad. It was torture, and they claimed to be helping her. They did not understand. They could not understand. And she envied their shallow intellects.

She was cursed, truly cursed. Not with insanity. No. That label was reserved only for the weak. She was cursed with raw ability and mental acuity the likes of which were unfathomable. Genius is a close friend of madness: two sides of the same coin. It takes but one tiny flick of the thumb to turn the metal face.

Thoughts plagued her. Memories hounded her through the sleepless nights, the starless nights. She could still see the pity painted on Zuko's face and upon the face of his water-bending peasant. The way they had looked at her made her feel sick. It was the same look her mother had given her every time she had acted out of malice, every time she had unwittingly followed in her father's footsteps. Her mother had reprimanded her upon occasion, but she was impervious to such feeble attempts at reformation. That look, however, that damnable _look_ haunted her.

Even now, it lingered in the eyes of every visitor to her cell, be it friend or foe. They looked at her but they did not see her. They saw her downfall. They saw her wallowing in the rancid stench of her own failure, a ghost of her former glory. Nothing but a ghost, a transient transparency, a reminder of life's more fleeting qualities. The marvelous citadel of her prior self had been eradicated, led into swift ruin. Down to the last stone, the last block of foundation. All that remained was an ashen pit of charred recollections, like a forest glade gone up in smoke.

And, for that, they pitied her.

How pathetic.

Two years. Two long, fruitless years had passed and not once had she seen outside of her windowless cell. She had forgotten what the wind felt like on her cheeks, ripping through her glossy mane of black hair. She had forgotten the scent of earth, still damp from spring rains, being warmed by crepuscular rays, striking boldly through the clouds to grace the earth once more, to make it burgeon with new life begat from the fierce flames of the merciless sun. She had forgotten the smooth texture of silk, how it would drag across her skin. She had forgotten the familiar ache in her muscles gained from hard work, familiar and so satisfying. She had forgotten her confidence, her rage, her cool collection of thoughts to soothe an otherwise searing demeanor, a wild will thrashing and champing at the bit, jerking the reins of control from her hands and trampling her own person with sharp, lashing hooves.

All that was left was an empty shell. A shell filled with lies.

Movements outside in the narrow passageway beyond the door of her cell. Amber eyes flicked to the door, narrow, suspicious, burning too brilliantly, like liquid gold caught in a crucible, shimmering hot and bright. She sat upon the stone floor, leaning against the wall. The thinly padded bed beside her sat neglected. One knee was bent and her arm was draped lazily across it, slender wrist bent, fingers held loose and sculpted. A certain regality lingered in her very stature despite the rough maroon cloth of her simply, prison-issued tunic - such proclivities, so strongly ingrained, could never truly be snuffed out. It lived in the arrogant slant of her shoulders, the haughty tilt of her chin, the piercing quality of her gaze. Thick leather straps bound her wrists and ankles; her iron chains had been exchanged for these more yielding restrictions when it became apparent a year into her captivity that she would no longer struggle. It was an unwanted concession, a so-called act of kindness that made her jaw clench. It felt like being a bound animal given a treat and a pat on the head because she had been such a good little girl. She would have preferred the chains.

Muffled footsteps could be detected outside and abruptly the heavy door to her cell opened, admitting a feeble ray of flickering light before it was shut away once more. She did not look over to see who had entered. She knew who it was, and she wished he would leave.

"Azula," came the mild greeting.

She could feel his eyes on her, boring into her like awls. She did not answer him. She never did.

There came from his direction a weary sigh, "I see you're still not speaking."

_Don't look at me_, she wanted to snarl, _Don't you dare look at me like that._

He ignored her silent command and continued, voice low and gruff as was its wont, "The medics and I agree that staying here is doing you no good. We've tried different methods, but nothing seems to be working. They inform me that you've made great progress in your time here, that your transition from having fits and raving hallucinations to being catatonic to then being lucid like this is astonishing. But you've reached a point where this place will no longer allow you to proceed."

At this, she held back a disdainful glower. As though she wanted to "proceed"! What folly! _Mother surely must have dropped him on his head!_

"And that's why I've decided to give you an opportunity.

I'm going to let you out, Azula. But my generosity has its limitations. you need a secure environment, secluded and isolated. You need to be reintroduced to the idea of people, of socialisation."

_Like socialising a dog_, she thought bitterly, _or perhaps a wolf._

His voice droned on and she prayed to Agni that this was all some sort of cruel nightmare, "I'm sending you to Kyoshi Island. There, the warriors can watch over you. They have agreed to take you under their wing provided that you follow their laws. I won't be sending any medics with you; I think you're beyond such things now. You need to find yourself again and perhaps this way a bit of time, freedom and a friendly face or two will allow you to do so.

The world has changed, Azula, and with more help and a little luck, so can you."

She flatly refused to respond, to even acknowledge his presence.

Then, in a squeal of rusted hinges, the door opened once more, and Zuko was gone.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it! Feel free to drop me a review or a PM. I'm always open to suggestions. <strong>

**-Kore**


	2. Chapter 2

**Salvete, omnes! **  
><strong>I have returned again, and so soon too! Then again, I'm known for my quick updates. Almost too quick, I think...But! I shall be alternating between this fic and my MaiHIME fic so that should slow things down to a nice easy pace between the two. <strong>

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine.**

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><p>The rocking of the ship woke her. Amber eyes fluttered open and, still bound in her leather cuffs, she blinked owlishly at the iron hull in which she lay. At first she thought she was still in her cell back in the Fire Nation, but then a gentle swell of the ocean outside made the ship groan and lurch. She could hear feet pounding on the metal deck above, elite soldiers fanning out in a neat array. Zuko had insisted on sending her to Kyoshi Island accompanied by a troupe of Imperial Firebenders. He, himself, had used the word "accompany" as though under the pretense of keeping her safe, but she knew the reality of the situation. They were her guards, her handlers. Their purpose was to make sure that she was transported to her new "environment" without any mishap. Their purpose was to keep others safe from her.<p>

_Fools,_ she thought, scoffing, _as though I would endeavor to escape in such a situation! What would I have to gain? More prison time? More time to listen to the drivel of my so-called medics, those posturing imbeciles? I think I've had quite enough of that for one lifetime..._

She had to admit, rather grudgingly, her brother had made a wise choice in sending her to Kyoshi Island. Of all places, it was isolated enough from any land that she could not easily escape or harm a great number of people and contained a set of elite warriors to "watch over her". And it was better than a cell. She'd rather die than go back to that place. Kyoshi Island may be technically considered captivity in all but name, but it was still far better than her previous dwelling.

_Dwelling...Yes, like I'm some sort of monster lurking in its unutterable lair..._

That thought brought a cruel smile to her lips, a self-deprecating smile.

The ship ground to a halt upon the sandy shore. Voices issued in sharp commands echoed above her. She sat up when she heard footsteps coming her way. The door opened and four guards filed into her cramped room. Two stepped forward and lifted her from the ground, setting her on her feet and taking a firm hold on her arms to escort her from the premises. They were firm, but not rough. Unyielding yet careful as to the handling of her person.

Those carefully thoughtful gestures made her hands clench, her now shortly clipped fingernails digging into her palms though her face remained smooth, impassive. She would have preferred the chains. She would have preferred harsh grips upon her upper arms. She hated this wretched concern.

Upon climbing to the top deck, Azula flinched away from the rays of the evening sun. It blinded her. It burned her. Her pale skin was unused to such things. Her eyes stung with unshed tears. And yet a warmth filled her, a warmth she had almost forgotten even existed. It spread from her skin deep into her bones despite the cool calming breeze wafting in from the nearby sea. Something deep within her trembled at this simple exposure to the elements. She breathed and was suddenly brimming with the smell of salt-water, of tangling trees and grass, of earth. When she finally opened her eyes, the sight of Kyoshi Island made her want to weep.

_Tears are for the weak_, she reprimanded herself, _A princess of the Fire Nation, a __royal descendant of Sozin, does not cry._

She stoutly refused to recall the many times she had wept in prison, back in the days when her mind was still a whirling mess of raging thoughts, tidal emotions and flickering images that flashed before her eyes, falling to the floor and scintillating in the dark, taking the form of people and places she knew, speaking to her, ever whispering. Things were different then. She had not been in control of her faculties then. Now, she had finally saddled her raving bucking mind and dug her heels into its flanks until it submitted to her will. With no help from her brother's medics, of course.

Numbly, she realised that she and her guards were still moving, that they had stepped off the ship and onto terra firma at last. Eight Kyoshi warriors were there to greet her. They all bowed simultaneously in their triangular formation. The Imperial Firebenders did not return the bow, but Azula knew something was expected of her. With an imperious glower, she inclined her head in return. It was so slight a thing, but the warriors rose from their positions and four stepped forward to relieve the Imperial Firebenders. Azula's eyes darted to each of their faces in turn. With a faint hint of surprise, she recognised one of them.

"Hello again, Azula," Suki greeted her, voice level and grave. She hardly seemed pleased at this arrangement. Azula wondered how many strings dearest Zuzu had had to pull for this peculiar arrangement to occur. The thought mildly satisfied her.

When Azula did not respond, Suki turned to one of the Imperial Firebenders and asked, "Is there anything else we need to be informed of?"

The guard thought for a moment before replying, his voice muffed from behind his helm, "She does not like to be touched."

A small frown marred Suki's face, noticeable even through all that thick paint, "Or what? She bites?" The Kyoshi warrior's tone was only half joking.

Azula almost chuckled. _No, that was only a few times very early on. Besides, those "doctors" deserved it..._She kept her silence, however. She had kept it for so long, she hardly knew if she remembered how to speak at all. The idea of opening her mouth to talk was vaguely revolting to her now.

The Imperial Firebender shook his head, "No. Not exactly -"

Before he could finish his sentence, however, an excited shout of, "'Zula!" went up nearby, and before Azula knew what was happening, she had been enveloped in a tight hug. Azula stiffened. Amber eyes widened in mingled shock and fury, tinged with disgust. Sparks flickered dangerously at the tips of her fingers. The Imperial Firebender snatched back her assailant just before Azula's entire body was sheathed in brilliant blue flames that flared angrily about her limbs before receding as though they had never been.

"That," the Imperial Firebender informed a startled Suki dryly, "is what happens."

The assailant was safely deposited back on the ground and it was then that Azula finally got a good look. At first, all she had seen was the formal attire of a Kyoshi warrior, complete with makeup and fans tucked into her sash, but now she saw who it really was. Shocked, Azula laid eyes upon her long time friend and confidant, Ty Lee.

In prison, nobody but Zuko, the guards and her medics had been permitted to see her, yet Azula was sure that she had somehow seen Ty Lee in her cell upon more than one occasion. However she was sure that was just the old hallucinations talking. Still, it seemed as though it were just yesterday that Ty Lee was at her side, chattering away with that perennially broad smile on her face, flitting by her with fleet-footed, prancing steps, ever the dancer, pink silks whispering about her limbs. That long braid still remained the same, but to Azula what had always been a trademark characteristic of Ty Lee was her eyes. Large eyes, gazing up at her with heedless admiration, eyes deep and dark as a sea at storm and of a similar complexion. How was it possible, Azula always wondered, that such a seemingly simple minded person had eyes like those?

"Whoops! Sorry, 'Zula!" Ty Lee announced, tone somehow still perky despite the apologetic tilt to her grin. Those storm-gray eyes threatened to swallow Azula. She felt like she was drowning in their watery depths, "Is that it? Didn't you bring anything with you?"

To this, Azula gave a curt shake of her head.

_As though I have any worldly possessions to bring with me..._she inwardly scoffed.

Ty Lee just continued to beam at her, "Well, that's alright! Come on! I want to show you around!"

The girl was about to grab Azula's hand and drag her through the streets of Kyoshi, but Azula jerked her arm away with a wordless hiss and glared. A hurt look entered those bottomless eyes, like stone wells, but she ignored it. Turning, she gave an overly elaborate bow to the Imperial Firebenders. Had they not been wearing full helmets, she would have had a good laugh at the gawking expressions that doubtlessly crossed their faces.

Whoever said that sarcasm required words?

Making a sharp about-face, Azula merely gave Ty Lee and Suki a stiff nod of acceptance. Suki frowned quizzically, but Ty Lee immediately started leading Azula up to the village, talking excitedly all the while. Azula followed and the eight other warriors all fell into formation around her as they made their way up the slight slope to the town square of Kyoshi Island.

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><p><strong>I know, I know. It's kinda short, as was the last chapter. Methinks I'll be keeping the chapters in this relatively short. Just little snippets. If I feel so inclined, they may lengthen, but for now they shall remain about this length. I anticipate a good 20 chapters or so, if the inspiration continues to strike me over the head with a baseball bat.<strong>

**-Kore**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Kore here!**

**And now with another brief update into the mystical land of TyZula. Huzzah! **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine.**

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><p>Azula growled wordlessly as she dropped yet another piece of food back onto her plate. The chopsticks felt unstable and thick between her inept fingers. She used to eat so daintily, like a sparrow, and her actions with utensils were always so adroit. Now, however, after not having seen let alone picked up a pair of chopsticks in the past two years, her skill with them had been reverted back to ground zero. It frustrated her to no end. Even worse, though, was the fact that Ty Lee sat far too close for her taste. Every time either of them moved, their arms almost brushed. It made a tick in Azula's left cheek twitch.<p>

She and the Kyoshi warriors were all taking their evening meal together, and as if it wasn't bad enough that a veritable horde of people now surrounded her, suffocating her, Ty Lee insisted on being glued to her side like they were joined at the hip.

The girl was still jabbering on and on, flitting from one topic to the net with the practiced ease of someone inherently comfortable among people. Azula watched with a strange sense of subdued fascination as the girl simultaneously spoke with both her mouth and her hands. Her nimble fingers seemed to have a mind of their own if that myriad of expressions was any indication. They dipped and turned, flicking and waving, like baby birds darting and dipping through the woods, between the densely woven branches. What was most enthralling, however was how the girl managed to do all of this at once and still eat at the same time, even going so far as to reach over and flip a few items from the platters of food onto Azula's own plate, silently urging the princess to eat more. Azula did not even realise that she had barely touched her food. Food was just a troublesome necessity to fuel her corporeal self. Nothing more.

After they had docked, Ty Lee had dragged her all around the village, introducing her to every townsperson they happened to come across. One questioned her about the bindings on her wrists, and without further preamble, Ty Lee had whipped out a small dagger from her boot and cut the leather straps. The other warriors accompanying them had all stiffened and Suki had even hissed a warning at Ty Lee, but the girl was completely oblivious to her offense. They had continued on, Azula rubbing her wrists with something near awe. Predictably, she had soon tired of such nonsense and had grown increasingly irritable and recalcitrant. And still, Ty Lee carried on as she always had as though at all had changed in two years. That attitude only served to further clip away at Azula's already short fuse. By the time she had been shown to her room, she had been stifling the near overwhelming urge to throttle the girl.

Her room was situated in the very back of the main building at the end of the avenue running through the town. It was where the Kyoshi warriors resided and therefore it was also where Azula was to be kept. The princess had trudged into her small room, complete with a futon, a small desk equipped with writing implements, and a closet hidden in the wall where an assortment of clothes were neatly folded. Immediately, she had changed out of her prisoner's garb and flopped gracelessly atop her futon. It felt strange to have such freedom over her own limbs in this manner. Laying, spread-eagle, on the thin mattress while sunlight filtered through the blinds and the sound of a large creek burbled nearby felt unnaturally luxurious.

As soon as she had sat up, however, she had frozen, rooted in spot. A small, circular mirror hung on the wall opposite her closet. Eyeing it warily, she had approached it like a hunter stalking a foaming boar and removed it from its place, careful not to look into its reflective surface. Things still lurked in mirrors. She did not trust them. Holding the mirror in her hands as though it were a rotting carcass, Azula had hurriedly placed it in the hallway outside her door. It was only then that she was able to breathe easily again.

A bright voice rang out, "Here, 'Zula! Let me help you with that!"

Azula glanced down to find Ty Lee holding a morsel out to her between her chopsticks with a fresh, expectant look on her face. Azula's lip curled at the offering and she waved the girl away. Ty lee, always persistent, continued to proffer the food like she were holding out an indulgent scrap from the table to a helpless puppy on the floor. Azula tried to ignore her, but as soon as she had the audacity to gently nudge Azula's lips with her chopsticks, the princess snapped.

Surprise and a glimmer of hurt marred Ty Lee's pretty features as her chopsticks went sailing through the air and clattered to the ground a few steps away. Unlike before, when Ty Lee had been wearing makeup, Azula could not ignore the bruised expression in those large, tempest's eyes. The room had fallen into silence and all its occupants had grown very still. Azula felt the eyes of the Kyoshi warriors upon her, gauging what had occurred, waiting for her next reaction, poised as if to strike at any sign of violence. She returned their stares defiantly with a dull glare of her own before turning back to look at Ty Lee.

The girl had not moved. Now, though, she was looking anywhere but at Azula, biting her lower lip as though nervous. Was that a tremble in her chin? Did her eyes seem too wet? Were they shining far more than usual?

_Oh, for goodness sake..._

With a short huff of irritation, Azula leaned over from where she sat and snatched up the chopsticks from the bamboo floor. Thrusting out her hand, she held them out to Ty Lee without looking at her. This was how it always was, how it always had been. Ty Lee would overstep her boundaries. Azula would snap at her and bare her figurative teeth. Ty lee would give her those singular, doe-like eyes that made her want to do anything the girl wanted - stuff her full of sweets and buy her expensive gifts - just so she would stop. And then Azula would sigh and cave in.

Some things never change.

Soft, warm fingers delicately brushed her own as Ty Lee took the chopsticks from her and Azula wrenched back her hand as though burned. Gazing at the girl askance, she saw a tiny, accepting smile curling her lips and knew that she was forgiven.  
>Movement and noise graced the room once more; the Kyoshi warriors returned to their meals as did Ty Lee and Azula. Many of the warriors still shot wary looks in their direction. As well they should. They were housing a wolf in their midst. A crippled wolf, perhaps, even a muzzled wolf, but a wolf nonetheless. Suki, in particular, seemed to pay her the most attention. Her level brown eyes followed Azula's every move, though she made it seem as though she were calmly eating her dinner, indulging in a bit of nonsensical dialogue with a few of her fellow warriors. But Azula knew. She knew she was far from freedom yet, if ever.<p>

But this was enough. For now, it was enough. It would have to be enough.

Ty Lee was at it again, mouth moving a mile a minute, limbs waving around the air, taking animatedly, cheerfully, even though Azula never gave a verbal reply. How did she do it? How did she bounce back so quickly? That was just Ty Lee's nature, she supposed.  
>Turning her attention back to her plate, Azula battled with the chopsticks yet again. Seasoned chicken and vegetables and white rice continually eluded her clumsy hand. Scooping rice into her mouth, utilising her chopsticks like a miniature trowel, Azula watched Ty Lee, simply watched and listened.<p>

It was going to be a long, long night.

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><p><strong>Hope y'all liked it!<strong>

**-Kore**


	4. Chapter 4

**First of all, thank you for the lovely reviews. I really appreciate it. Now, I should like to address some of those said reviews. Ahem. In my mind, Zuko isn't an idiot, well...not **_**that**_** big of an idiot. Somehow, I was hoping that he'd have garnered a somewhat larger vocabulary after being Fire Lord for two years. I may be wrong, but the diction I put in his mouth in chapter 1 was intentionally more sophisticated because I had this perhaps irrational hope that he might have grown up (and given up on that god-awful angst. Ugh...he and Mai both. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Mai's gloom and cutting sarcasm, but Zuko's angst gets on my nerves after a while). As for Azula's not speaking: it's not that she doesn't have the ability to speak, it's just that she chooses not to. She'll open up later on, but for now she's going to be put on mute.**

**But enough of that. On with the show!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine.**

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><p>Azula could not, for the life of her, sleep.<p>

Gods knew that she had tried. She had lain on the thin padding of her futon for hours to no avail. She had tossed and turned, she had gotten a drink of water, she had paced her room, but nothing seemed to help. It was the light, she figured. It must be the light. Bright slits of moonlight shone through the closed blinds, making her sensitive eyes prick behind their lids. In prison, everything had always been so dark. This much light was distracting. How could she be expected to fall asleep like this?

Giving up with a grumpy sigh, Azula rose and pulled a green robe around herself. She struggled with the sash but eventually decided to just live with a messy knot - after all, she had never been forced to see to the dressing of her own person, even in prison. Then, swinging a heavy black cloak about her shoulders and stepping into a pair of slim black boots that rose to her knees, she opened her door and slipped out into the hall. She silently cursed herself for not waiting to put on the boots until she was outside, for the thick hide soles clunked on the bamboo floor. As stealthily as she could manage, she crept downstairs and out a side door. Once outside, she started out across the steeply arched bridge over the stream that ran by town and followed the dirt path through the surrounding woods.

The moon was low in the sky now. Its rays slanted through the trees, dappling the pathway. The cloak swept out behind her as she walked, like a dark set of wings swirling around her legs then rippling outward. As a stiff breeze blew by, Azula tugged the deep hood more firmly in place with an irritable scowl, tucking away stray strands of hair. Her hair was down. She had not even considered tying it up. Then again, she had not tied it up for so long that leaving it down felt so much more natural down. It was not as long as it used to be, but it still reached well past her shoulders. When she first had been put in captivity, they had sheared off most of it, leaving a wispy halo of wild locks around her sharp face. Her handlers had not bothered to keep it at that shorter length, however, and now it was growing out quite nicely. Truth be told, she needed to have it trimmed, but she was reluctant to do so for she wanted it to return to its previous length as soon as possible. She missed how it felt when it would brush her back.

The night was clear and unspeakably beautiful. Nature just didn't have a right to look so devastatingly beautiful. Azula walked out to a clearing, the forest receding to a wide cliff that hung low over the ocean. At the stretch of sky above, so wide a swathe of black velvet clustered with stars and planets and the occasional meteor streaking by, she stopped and tilted her head back to stare. She thought that she had never seen anything so dark and yet so bright all at once. The gibbous moon was hidden now beneath the tree-line to her back. Dawn was making its shy appearance, its approach swift yet steady as if dimmed the many lights of the stars, slowly brightening the sky a lighter lavender hue.

Her strides carried her forward and suddenly she was dropping down until she found herself sitting, cross-legged, near the lip of the cliffside, gazing out on the ocean. The tides rolled in, as steady as clockwork, crashing, crashing against the rocky shore, throwing up a light mist. Azula breathed deeply and allowed her eyes to slide partially shut. It was cold, but she felt comfortably warm. She always felt warm. Even in the shivering dark of her cell, the breath of flame came so easily to her, heating her from within. She let herself simply sit there and enjoy the raw sensations assaulting her. It was like a taste of freedom, so small a slice, but a slice nonetheless.

"So this is where you went off to."

Instinctually, Azula felt her body tense at the sudden intrusion. She did not turn, though. She knew who it was that stood behind her just a few paces away. How could she forget that voice?

Ty Lee's dancer feet softly padded closer, rusting ever so slightly through the grass, her silk robe whispering across her thighs. The girl sat beside Azula and said, "I was starting to wonder where you might be going when I heard you leave."

Azula had forgotten that Ty Lee's room was directly beside her own. Coincidence, perhaps? Some part of her suspected that that might not be the case. It did not irritate her, but it was...curious. Obviously, Zuko played his cards well in sending her here. She had not even known that Ty Lee had become a Kyoshi warrior. Finding out earlier that day had been something of a shock. Nothing she could not handle, of course, but still unexpected. She had imagined Ty Lee had returned to her traveling circus or even gone to live in Ba Sing Se, but she had never thought that the girl would have joined the Kyoshi warriors.

_They must have met in prison_, she ruminated, feeling something suspiciously like guilt nudge her chest. But she could not be completely sure. After all, she had not had much interaction with such an emotion in her years. Even in gaol, it had remained foreign to her.

From beneath the hood, amber eyes flicked down to see Ty Lee smiling gently up at her. The girl was not much shorter than herself, but their difference in height could still be seen in their seated position. Her skin looked milky in the dark. How supply it swept from the smooth line of her neck, disappearing beneath the folds of her robe! Just as Azula remembered it. Ty Lee always looked so soft, so delectably malleable. Her eyes were great, dark shadows of the sea. Everything about her was almost fluid in essence, quivering with energy, rippling with gentle strength, all pliant curves and lissome motions. Azula said nothing as she studied her childhood friend.

Ty Lee said nothing for a few long moments as they just sat together beneath the fading stars, until, so softly Azula almost missed it, "I'm glad you came..."

Azula's amber eyes blinked and their gazes met. She felt captured, fixed by that liquid, gray gaze. It was a tender enslavement and not at all unpleasant, though Azula subconsciously felt herself balk, withdrawing back within her shell for protection.

Ty Lee smiled gently up at her, refusing to set her free, "I know it wasn't your idea and that you'd probably rather be somewhere else, but...I'm glad."

Finally wrenching her gaze away, Azula looked out onto the ocean. She stared at the horizon and the coming dawn. Ty Lee joined her in her sentinel of the sun. Painstakingly slow, that great fiery orb slipped above the far-off line where the world curved and the sky met the sea. A chill still lingered in the air, but it would soon dissipate. Flossy waves of colour stained the sky, seeping into the night, turning the lavender sky a pale lilac, a mossy green, a flaxen yellow, a peach-fuzz orange, a heart-shell pink.

Azula felt something warm and heavy on her shoulder. It was Ty Lee's head. The girl was fast asleep, her face lit up with the rising colours of the sun, so pale yet so ineffably vibrant. A breeze wafted across their immobile forms, carrying the girl's scent on its draft, sweet yet earthy, like grass. For some reason that she herself did not fully understand, Azula did not pull away from Ty Lee's innocuous touch. She knew that a part of her wanted to do so, but she refused to let it take hold, to grip her mind with unfounded fears. Instead, she let the girl sleep and turned her gaze back to the sight she had only been dreaming of for years now: the silent vista of a brilliant sunrise beneath an open sky, unbound, free at last.

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><p><strong>Hope y'all liked it!<strong>

**-Kore**


	5. Chapter 5

**Aaaand, we're back.**

**I just can't seem to leave this fic alone. Sure, I have my ShizNat waiting for me (all 51 chapters of it just waiting to be written. Yikes!) but this fic just feels so fresh, so new in my mind and in my hands. I can't stop thinking of different scenarios for our two girls to get caught up in. I go about my day wondering what sort of mischief the characters will get into next instead of paying attention to my philosophy teacher talk about the wonders of Plato's **_**Phaedo**_**. Blech. Give me Cicero or give me death!**

**In any case, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine.**

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><p>The day had been long, even more so because of her lack of sleep. Azula was used to sleepless nights, but she was not used to having to move around so much. Sleeplessness could be endured when she was left to her own devices, alone in a cell with nothing but the darkness and her own fuzzy thoughts, but when it was brought into the light of the day she nearly buckled beneath its sudden weight. All day, she had been lethargic in the new tasks presented to her, though she had struggled through it with her old strong will, determination and raw stubbornness, refusing to let her tired limbs fall to the ensnaring ways of fatigue.<p>

Her task, apparently, was some rudimentary form of community service, if looked at through the proper lens. She preferred to think of it as running an army, for at least she was familiar with that and it was also less humiliating to think of it that way. She was to keep the main building clean and stocked with supplies, the building which housed the artifacts of Kyoshi and the Kyoshi warriors themselves. When Suki had informed her that such a menial task was her duty now, she had arched an incredulous brow.

Had Suki gone _mad?_

_She?_ Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation, clean up after Earth Kingdom scum?

Inconceivable.

"You heard me," Suki had said, "It's better than being in a cell, isn't it? Now get to work."

And, growling wordlessly, Azula had done just that.

Strangely, by the end of the day, she found that she was quite good at such things. Her anal-retentive disposition made organising and cleaning something of a second nature to her, as much as she hated to admit it. She found that she could not rest, however, knowing that all of the spices in the kitchen were crammed carelessly in a drawer with absolutely no regard to alphabetical order. The kitchen itself had taken hours until she felt completely satisfied with it, what with all the pots and pans and cutlery and china all haphazardly arrayed, and when she had finally departed from that ghastly place she had almost tripped and broken her neck on a legion of boots cluttering the hall.

As was customary, the Kyoshi warriors removed their shoes before entering an establishment, excepting their expansive training room. Therefore, when Azula had left the kitchen, it had been right when the warriors had taken a break between training for meditation indoors. Staring aghast at the chaotic medley of foot-ware before her, Azula had clenched her fists and straightened every last pair of boots until they were neatly arranged by size, from largest to smallest, right to left, with every heel perfectly aligned until she could look down the row and imagine that it was a column of expert soldiers awaiting her inspection. Only to have the Kyoshi warriors finish their meditation five minutes later and trundle heedlessly out and complain about how they were unable to find the proper set of shoes because they had been 'unorganised' or 'misplaced'.

Azula had come _this close_ to slitting their filthy little Earth Kingdom throats.

_Verminous ingrates..._

At one point during the day, she had strolled down the hall to her room and had been able to peer into many of the warriors' residences, as they had left a few doors open. All were hideously messy, excepting Suki's and, oddly enough, Ty Lee's. Those two were the only ones that were moderately acceptable to Azula's critical eye. Ty Lee, Azula could understand: the girl had grown up as an aristocrat in the Fire Nation, after all. Nothing other than absolute order would have been adequate. Still, Ty Lee's neat was Azula's messy. Furthermore, Ty Lee's neat was the Kyoshi warriors' godliness.

_What a hapless lot,_ she had thought with disgust, _They wouldn't last two days in a Fire Nation family of good breeding. _

Finally, the day had ended and, after a hot meal, Azula had trudged off to her rooms for a much needed night of good sleep.

The only problem was that night was here, and it was far from peaceful.

_Pain._

_That was the only thing she knew. She was not aware of how she was dropped into this sea of affliction. Perhaps it had started small, with just the barest flicker, a reaction to something she had already forgotten. But now, now she was drowning in it. _

_Her enraged howls of agony alerted the guards outside her cell and brought the doctors running, the sounds of their frantic footsteps slapping against stone distant to her ears. _

"_Quick! Bring the sedative!"_

_Azula was writhing on the damp floor of her cell. Her hands were cuffed behind her back and her feet were shackled just enough so that she could not kick. Brilliant plumes of blue flames, so hot they looked almost white in the darkness, slipped past the iron muzzle that completely covered the lower half of her face. The blackened metal glowed red, the parts closest to her mouth almost orange. Steam and smoke rose in faint wisps around her cheeks, pale as the shades of death and memory that haunted her through the endless midnight. She shrieked as the metal seared into her skin, arching her back, continuing to emit jets of fire from her mouth. Like a chained animal she thrashed on the ground, reacting only to the pain of her own creation, oblivious to the many guards and doctors swarming around her. _

_Someone managed to restrain her, holding her arms and shoulders steady and she struggled fiercely to be released. She hardly felt the small pinch in her neck where a needle was injected. Slowly, her writhing ceased until her heels scraped passively against the stone floor as her body continued to lull in spite of the sedatives, eyes heavily lidded. The smell of burning hair and flesh filled the cell, mingling with the sound of her screams as they peeled off the iron mask _

"_Where's that damn Healer?" came a sharp voice through the haze._

_She could see shadowy figures moving dimly in her field of vision. Her head rolled back. Who was that holding her? Was it a guard? No, it couldn't be. Not unless guards had her mother's face. But, then again, everything these days seemed to have her mother's face. Or was it her father's? Or Zuko's? No matter, they all looked so alike to her in this state._

_Someone knelt in front of her. A woman. An elderly woman if her graying temples and lined face had any say in the matter. She wore an elaborately beaded blue outfit that marked her as originating from the Northern Water Tribe. Uncorking a hide flask at her hip, an oblong sphere of water engulfed her hands, shining a bright blue. Gently, so gently it hurt, she laid her hands on Azula's burned face and started to Heal. _

_The Waterbender was exceptionally skilled. When she finished, there was not even the barest trace of a scar. _

"Azula!" Someone was gently shaking her shoulder, "Azula!"

With a gasping cry, Azula woke. Moonlight illuminated her shivering form, drenched in sweat. Her amber eyes darted all around, panicky, until they alighted upon the person sitting beside her on her futon. It was Ty Lee, gazing down at her with those big, stormy eyes filled with concern. Out of instinct, Azula jerked away, but the girl would have none of it.

"It's okay," she said soothingly, like she was talking to a twitchy horse jumping at shadows, "I'm here. It's okay. It was just a dream."

_A dream? No...A memory._

She was shaking, and she found that she could not stop.

Briefly, the covers flipped open, allowing in a cold burst of air before they closed once more. Ty Lee had, once again, ignored Azula's silent command to 'stay away' and slipped into bed with her. Soft, warm arms engulfed her, pulling her in close. For a moment, Azula stiffened at the sudden contact, but her sleep-addled brain had other ideas in mind. Her body leaned into Ty Lee's touch. The girl's pacifying hands tenderly drifted down her back and back up again. All the while she murmured calm nothings into Azula's black hair. Gradually, her shivering came to a quaking halt, and she found that she could breath normally again.

Already, she was drifting, drifting in a warm, comforting fog. Soon, much sooner than she would have thought possible, Azula fell asleep to feather-soft touches gracing her back and whispered consolations.

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><p><strong>Hope y'all liked it!<strong>

**-Kore**


	6. Chapter 6

**Salvete, omnes!**

**Sorry for the long wait. I got caught up with school and my Mai-HIME fic. But, I'm back now! I'll try to update more regularly, but I make no promises. **

**In any case, enjoy!**

** Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine. **

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><p><em>When Azula woke, it was to a warmth that was rather foreign to her. Normally, when she roused herself from a night of fitful dreams, she was cold, chilled to the bone though still sweating, her skin bearing a frigid sheen, making it shine dully against the darkness of her cell, pale and trembling. Instead, she woke to a comforting blanket of warmth; not too hot; just right. It surrounded her; it engulfed her; she was drowning in it and she never wanted to come up for air, for every fibrous muscle in her body felt relaxed, utterly slack.<em>

_On second thought, the source of the warmth seemed to be a bundle of blankets, or perhaps a large pillow around which one of her arms were wrapped. Part of it was pinning her lower body in place, but Azula did not mind; she had absolutely no intention of going anywhere. The warmth breathed. It was a living heat, a soft heat, silken smooth and fragrant, smelling faintly of newly cut grass, dry and soothing._

_With a gentle sigh, Azula nudged her head farther into the warmth, wriggling closer to it. She wanted to be as close to that heat as possible. She wanted to become one with it, joined in a tender union of living, breathing torridity. _

_But when it moved, Azula's eyes shot open. _

_Breathing was fine, for she could convince herself that that was merely a figment of her imagination, but moving?_

_Amber eyes drifted over the sight before her: shadows dipping into shallow wells of pale flesh tinted a healthy, rosy gold; a collarbone mounted upon a plane of immaculate skin with a foundation of swelling cleavage that rose and fell with deep, steady breaths._

_Ty Lee?_

_For a moment, Azula just stared, not knowing what to do. Her body suddenly tensed and she tried to withdraw, peeling her hand carefully from the generous curve of Ty Lee's hip, but the girl's leg was casually draped over Azula's own, keeping her rooted firmly in place. If she were to move, surely she would wake the girl, and she was sure that would leave to a most awkward situation that she would rather avoid. Still, what was she to do? If she waited, Ty Lee might, herself, awaken and then they would be in the exact situation Azula wanted to avoid._

_As her mind was working furiously, the slumbering Ty Lee made the decision for her. _

_Sleepy gray eyes fluttered open, revealing those stormy, liquid depths that threatened to swallow Azula whole. A crooked smile spread across those innocent features and Ty Lee murmured, "Morning, 'Zula," before snuggling deeper into the pillow they both currently shared and apparently had shared all through the night._

_Azula remained silent, still calm and calculating on the outside though inwardly her mind was a whirring rush, "Ty Lee," she began, voice as uninflected and uncompromised as she could make it._

"_Hmm?"_

"_Why are you in my bed?"_

"_It's not a bed. It's a futon."_

_The princess scowled faintly and ordered, "Just answer the question."_

_Ty Lee blinked drearily at her, then replied simply, her voice low and soothing, "You were having nightmares and thrashing about and making an awful ruckus. I came in to calm you down, but you wouldn't stop shivering, so I jumped into bed with you."_

_It was all said so matter-of-factly, Azula could do nothing more than stare as Ty Lee then cuddled up to her, pulling her close. _

"Sounds like you had quite the nightmare last night, huh?"

Jerked from her recollection of this morning's events, Azula just ignored Suki and continued to clean.

The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors didn't seem to take the hint, for she leaned in the doorway and, watching Azula scrub the floors with an inquisitive gaze, asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Azula stopped and glared, looking over her shoulder from where she knelt on all fours, the wide green sleeves of her robe rolled up to her elbows.

Holding up her hands in a display of mock defense, Suki said, "Alright. Alright. No need to get angry now. I was just trying to help."

Then, with a rueful shake of her head, she left.

The princess was glad to see her go and returned immediately to the task at hand. It was the last of her chores for the day, the polishing of the bamboo floors. Yesterday, she had blazed through her mandatory cleaning duties - not without a great deal of silently grumbling to herself, of course - but the upside was that she was almost finished for today. The sun was still well above the horizon. When she finished, she would have a good few hours to do with as she pleased. Already, Azula knew exactly what she wanted to do in that time. Perhaps if she kept up this pace, she could continue to add in her own personal time at the end of each day. For one thing was pressingly certain.

Azula needed space.

Not a week had passed and already she was suffocating. The sheer number of people here was appalling! Kyoshi Island was, by no means, a large place, but Azula felt that the population needed some thinning out. She'd get right on _that _particular chore, if they'd let her, but she knew better. Still, after being locked in a cell for a number of years with nobody to visit her or talk to her or touch her other than frightened doctors and guards, just being suddenly thrust into this populated environment felt like being dunked into an ocean of boiling water.

She was drowning.

She was burning.

She couldn't stay here. Not like this. Somehow, she either needed to escape or establish a place for herself. A place where she could be alone once more. A place where she could collect her ragged thoughts, gather up the scattered pieces of herself, focus on her breathing, relax.

when was the last time she had been able to do any of those things outside of a prison cell? Even in gaol, she had not been able to find that sort of time for herself. Most of her days in gaol had been spent in alternating states of shrieking fits or numb catatonia. It was not until recently that she had finally assembled the shattered fragments of her psyche. Even so, it was a fragile assemblage. she did not trust it in the slightest. She did not trust herself.

That remained, perhaps, the greatest treachery of them all.

Mai she could forgive. Ty Lee she could forgive. In due time.

But herself?

Never.

What had become of her was unforgivable, unacceptable, unspeakable. Azula could not

formulate into words the raw fury, the boundless frustration, the stinging self-loathing she now felt and had felt for the last two years.

She was stronger than that! She was _better_ than that! How could her own mind just...crack? Was it truly so frail a thing? Was she truly so weak?

Even her body had begun to wither and rot away in the wake of her departed sanity. Fitness had not been the primary concern of upkeep for her gaolers. Life had been the goal. Living. Survival. They had almost lost her more than once. she knew that. The memories were faint, ghostly things, glowing like late embers in a bed of dry ash, but they were there. Haunting her. Memories of gibbering in huddled corners, of snapping at guards and medics like a diseased hound, of being muzzled, of being lashed to the cot in her cell to prevent her from inflicting more harm upon herself, of spiraling downward in a storm of self-destruction, of striking rock bottom and going limp and boneless from the experience, the will to do anything other than breath having long departed her body, of being force-fed, of heaving up meal after meal until the medics had her on a strict, liquid-based diet, of slowly clawing her way into tentative recovery, of clutching sanity close, cradling it to her chest and rocking with it as though if were a stillborn that had slipped, unheeded, from the womb.  
><em>There, <em>Azula thought to herself triumphantly, hurling the rag to the floor, _Done. _

Rising from her kneeling position, she rolled her sleeves back down as she stepped from the building and made for the nearby woods. Nobody noticed her absence and for that she was glad. It would have been most aggravating if somebody had pestered her and asked where she was going. Somebody like Ty Lee, who had absolutely no regard to personal space.

_As this morning proved..._

A strange feeling rose in her chest when she thought of this morning. A sort of warmth. Azula growled as she strode stealthily through the shade of the trees, rubbing at a place just above her heart. She was not particularly curious as to why this feeling was suddenly present; she just wanted it to go away.

_What a nuisance._

After no more than a few minutes of walking, she arrived in the same clearing by the cliff that she had escaped to two nights previously, where she had watched the sunset with Ty Lee asleep on her shoulder. The sun was bright behind her, wreathing her long dark hair in a crown of gold. Situating herself in the centre of the glade, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This would be difficult to do in a robe, but she would manage. Besides, she would start at the beginning, working her way up.

Her feet spread into a wide stance and she lowered her body, smoothly finding her centre of gravity, breathing. Amber eyes opened, blazing a rich, bright colour and with a surge of energy, she began to move. Flames, brilliant blue flames, erupted from her fists and feet. The kata came easily to her purely out of muscle memory, but her limbs trembled from strain and exertion as she continued through the forms. That burn returned to her, lighting an acidic fire beneath her skin. Gods, she had missed that feeling!

Now, she may be weak, but she would grow strong. Her strength would return and then, then she at least be restored to her former glory. All in due time.

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><p><strong>Hope y'all liked it!<strong>

**-Kore**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, everyone! Long time no see.**

**Forgive me for the late update. I've just finished my semester and am now officially on summer break. It's been a difficult semester, work-wise. Lots and lots and lots of work. If you don't yet attend University, then you can't even imagine the amount of work I've had to do. And if you have attended/are attending University, I have but one word to say to you: thesis. That's right, I had to write my thesis. When I turned it in, it was like submitting my life in a bundle of 90 pages. **

**In other words, I've had a damn good excuse for not writing. But! Now that I'm on break, I'll be much more active at least for the next few months. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine**

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><p>The river sparkled in the light of the midday sun. Trees reflected faintly near the banks, their bristling branches contorted by the water moving swiftly towards its home in the sea. The brilliant blue of the sky shone off the surface, but caught in eddies beneath the ripples were shadows that led straight to the bottom of the river, a bed of stones and softly waving grasses. A fish darted between the rocks, avoiding the sunlight. Azula watched with golden eyes, liquid-bright, her gaze flickering expertly, keeping pace with the trout. Her green sleeves were rolled up past her elbows, and she had pinned up the skirts of her tunic at her waist. By the shore sat her clunky brown boots and faded socks beside a large wooden bucket banded with strips of iron like a barrel. She had waded into the water and stood there, still as a statue, with her head slightly cocked as though listening to something in the distance, so that her bangs fell across her face, resting upon the pale pommel of her upturned cheek.<p>

Without warning, Azula plunged her arms into the stream. With a wordless, triumphant cry she snatched up the trout she had been so studiously observing. The fish struggled in vain against her strong grip, but she just smiled coldly at it as though it were a fallen foe upon the battlefield. Feeling smug, Azula tossed the fish into the nearby barrel where it landed with a splash beside its brethren.

She had been out here for about an hour or so now. Suki had asked if she would help a local fisherman and Azula had grudgingly set about her newest task. The fisherman in question had tried to talk her into taking a fishing pole with her, but Azula had merely waved him wordlessly away, still reluctant to speak. The fisherman had watched her walk away, puzzled and scratching his head like a large ape. Azula had shaken her head in quasi disgust as she followed the stream that ran through town into the neighboring woods. Fishing poles? Pah! Such a tool was unnecessary and beneath her. She did not need a fishing pole. Besides, where was the fun in sitting around with a fishing pole, bored?

Not that this menial task was _fun_, mind you...

The once princess certainly seemed to be enjoying herself, however. Her lips were curved in a small smile in spite of herself and her whole face beamed. Perhaps that was merely the sunlight, though. Azula always seemed to perk up during midday, when the sun was at its peak, filling her with its power until she felt positively exuberant. It was the closest Azula got to being effervescent, almost giddy. This must have been what Ty Lee felt like all the time.

Another fish swam lazily into view with a lazy swish of its finned tail. A gleam entered Azula's eyes and her muscles tensed. Slowly so as not to startle it, she moved into position and prepared to strike.

As though a bolt from the blue, a rock sailed through the air and landed into the water, splashing Azula and frightening the fish away. Spluttering indignantly, she wiped the water from her eyes, the front of her clothes stained a darker hue and her hair dripping wet, a few strands clinging to her brow. Wheeling around with a fierce scowl, Azula fixed her intruders with a glare that not many souls lived to see twice.

A group of three kids in their early teens, two boys and a girl, stood close to her things. They giggled at her reaction, but did not seem frightened in the slightest. They couldn't have been older than twelve or thirteen. She had seen gaggles of similar groups capering about the town with careless abandon, without a care in the world. How she envied their nonchalance, their carefree nature. They had never experienced the terrors of the world. They had never known pain. Nor sadness. Nor loss. Nor anger. Nor hatred. Nor madness. And for this, something in Azula hated them, hated their very existence and everything they represented. These were the children that lived lives she had been denied.

A muscle in Azula's cheek twitched.

Ignoring her intruders, she turned back to her task at hand. The children would not leave her, though. They remained and began pestering her.

"You're that exiled princess, aren't you?" One of them asked, strolling up to the very bank of the stream and toeing the water with his boot.

Azula just narrowed her eyes in his direction.

"Hellllloooooo!" The boy drawled, waving his hands at her, as though that would catch her attention.

"Maybe she can't talk," the girl supplied, shrugging.

"Whatdya mean, she can't talk?" the other boy approached as well, wielding a stick in his hand, narrow like a switch. He had obviously snapped it from a low hanging tree-branch as they had traversed the forest and had used it to swat the heads from flowers. A petal still clung to the end, "I saw her talking to one of the Kyoshi warriors just the other day!"

They must have been referring to Ty Lee. Azula never spoke to anybody but Ty Lee, and even then only rarely. The longest conversation they had held was their very first one when Azula had woken in Ty Lee's arms after her first nightmare here on Kyoshi Island. That must have been a fortnight ago.

"Hey! You can talk, right?" the second boy asked, crouching by the waterside.

When Azula continued to ignore them, his friend picked up a pebble and tossed it in her direction. Hand flashing out, she caught it before it could hit the stream and threw it to the side, all without looking at them. She was getting rather fed up with this whole charade. As one of royal descent, she deserved more respect than this! If she had been in any other situation, Azua would have had these insolent brats shrieking and fleeing from her presence.

"Come ooonnn..." the girl whined, "Let's go somewhere else. This is boooring."

"I wanna hear her say something," the second boy insisted. They continued to cajole and pester, not noticing Azula's mounting irritation, until the boy boldly reached out and poked her with the stick.

With a snarl, Azula whirled around, seizing the offending stick and wrenching it from the boy's feeble grasp. Blue fire burst from her palm, igniting the switch as though it were tinder. The flames didn't even have time to turn red before the stick was mere ash that lightly tumbled to float on the surface of the water. The children's eyes widened as Azula stepped from the stream and towered above them, no more than a dark shape that blotted out the sun, a faceless monster in human form with a gaze that burned a savage amber.

"Azula!"

Azula's head snapped towards the source of the voice that had spoken. She knew that voice, those bright and dulcet tones.

Ty Lee strode towards them with fleet-footed steps. She walked as though she barely touched the ground, as though the earth didn't need to support her weight, as though she would suddenly float away and scatter in the wind. Her Kyoshi armour had been left behind and her face was devoid of makeup. Quickly, she approached them and stopped beside Azula, facing the children.

"Go on, kids," she greeted them cheerily, winking, "Maru just made fresh iced pastries!"

The situation diffused quickly. Excited grins broke out on the children's faces and they dashed off without another thought. Azula glared after them, a growl rumbling up through her throat.

Ty Lee turned her attention to her friend, expression more sombre now, and asked, "What was that all about, 'Zula?"

Azula just crossed her arms and refused to respond.

"Oh, come on..." Ty Lee wheedled, "I know you can talk. Why don't you talk to anybody else, princess?"

But Azula just set her jaw more firmly. Nobody said she was without her stubborn streak, though she would heatedly deny it.

When she felt a hand her shoulder, feather-soft, she immediately felt the muscles in her shoulders and back loosen. Darting Ty Lee a surly glance, Azula mumbled something incoherent.

"What was that?" Ty Lee queried, gazing up at her.

Damn. She couldn't resist those large, grey eyes when they were fixed upon her like that.

Clearing her throat, Azula opened her mouth to speak. When the words came out, they felt scratchy and clumsy in her mouth, almost husky, as though she had spent her years in the smoky pipe-dens of Ba Sing Se, "I'm not a princess anymore, Ty."

Ty Lee just smiled that big smile, "You're wrong, Azula. You'll always be _my_ princess."

A faint blush tinged Azula's pale cheeks and she turned her head to the side, coughing in order to hide it.

For a moment, nothing was said between them, but Azula could tell Ty Lee was grinning foolishly at her. Finally, it was Ty Lee that broke the silence, "Suki told me you were fishing. But where's your fishing pole?"

"Unnecessary," was Azula's curt response, though she was glad there was something else for them to discuss.

"Well, what do you do? Catch them with your hands?"

"Of course."

Ty Lee stared at her incredulously, "No way...Oooh! Teach me! Teach me! Teach me!" She leaped about like a frolicking foal, grasping Azula's forearms as though encouraging to join her in a strange, enthusiastic dance.

"Ty Lee! You'll scare the fish away with that ruckus!" she scolded.

At once, Ty Lee quieted down and whispered over-dramatically, "Sorry!"

Rolling her eyes, Azula, reluctant to let go of Ty Lee's arms, grabbed one of her hands and led her to the water, "Come on, then. I'll show you."

They stepped into the stream together. Ty Lee seemed remarkably unaffected by the fact that her leggings were getting soaked. Together they stood across from one another, though they remained close enough that when they bent over the water, the crowns of their heads brushed one another. Azula was careful not to allow too much contact between them. This sudden desire for physical contact had arisen after that fated morning of her nightmares, and Azula was unsure of how to deal with it. Perhaps it had come about sooner than that. Perhaps it had always been there, but she had just ignored it, never giving it a second thought.

Giving her head a little shake to clear her thoughts, Azula began her instruction, trying and failing to ignore Ty Lee's adoring grey gaze upon her, like the stare of brewing tempests pulling her ship to a watery doom.

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><p><strong> Hope y'all liked it! Until next time!<strong>

** -Kore**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, everyone!**

**And here we are again with the next installment of my TyZula fic. I missed writing about those two, so I revisited this fic :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine.**

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><p>Today was a terrible day.<p>

Which was a surprise, since things had been going remarkably well here. Well...As well as things could go when one was living on a dingy, Earth-kingdom island completely bereft of any notion of civilisation. But even by Azula's reckoning, things had been going well. Routine came easily on this island nation. But Azula could still feel it. It had started off with donning wrinkled clothes, since everyone s laundry had been blown off the lines by a recent storm. They also smelled terribly musty. Some imbecile had taken her robes off the line too early and replaced it with somebody else s, so when she had went searching, she had found them in the bottom of a wicker hamper, still damp from the rain. Cursing, she had snatched all her clothes up and stomped back to her room, hanging everything up in her personal closet in an attempt salvage the material. But it was all for naught. All of her clothes still smelled of mold.

Moreover, Azula had not slept well the night before. Or the night before that. The nightmares kept returning to plague her during her most vulnerable moments. She could hardly even remember a time when she hadn t been hounded by terrifying monsters during the midnight hours, monsters wearing the faces of family and friends, monsters with gory slag for skin and caustic saliva dripping from their pointed chins, their eyes bloody pinpricks shining through the dark, their whispers mindless babbling, the ravings of a lost and tortured mind. It had taken Azula years to realise that mind was her own, her very own consciousness gripped through with self-inflicted madness, like a stone wall clutched with strangling ivy, tearing the foundations away to reveal the tangled entrails within their red and gasping terminals.

After that first nightmare when she had been consoled by Ty Lee during the ungodly hours of the morning, Azula's sleep had been largely undisturbed. And those few weeks had been bliss. Pure, unadulterated bliss. Her sleep troubles after that had been attributed to mundane affairs for a few weeks. Like how unaccustomed she was to sleeping on an actual futon. A futon stuffed with feathers, no less! How luxurious it felt! Even now, she felt strange lying down on such a plush surface, its soft giving way to her thin form. Speaking of her form, she was filling out nicely after her time refusing to eat when in jail. The food on Kyoshi island could hardly be considered fine dining, but for some reason, Azula had found herself far more interested in food than she had been in quite some time.

She was finally starting to feel like her old self again. Not only was she eating a reasonable amount every day, she had been getting sleep and exercise. At the end of most of her days, Azula would manage to sneak out and train in a quiet glade in the forest, hidden from the eyes of the villagers and the Kyoshi warriors. She had refrained from shooting lightning for fear of drawing attention, though she knew the ability still resided within her. She could feel the lightning sizzling at her fingertips when she practiced with too much fervour, sometimes even escaping into her flames so that the blue fire was shot through with white arcs, crackling as it passed through the dry air. She had been tempted to go out on that stormy night to practice in the hopes that the natural lightning from the sky would hide her own practice.

Lightning was a form that came easily to her, naturally. Her old mentors, Lo and Li, had always preached on about how lightning was achieved only through pure calm and collection of the mind. But Azula had never felt that when conjuring lightning. The act sent a thrill through her, electrifying her skin until it crawled, her stomach swooping as though falling from a great height. Each time, she revelled in the sensation as she sent the blazing power streaking off, always coming closer and closer to her target. And that was the other fantastic aspect of lightning: it was so accurate. The obsessive perfectionist in her both loved and hated this facet of lightning. She could hit her target with pinpoint accuracy, but those few times that she was off, those days where she just couldn t get it right no matter what because something was on her mind, or she had a crick in her neck, or the wave of the ship jolted her concentration just enough to send the jagged spears of condensed fire careening off the exact target just to aggravate her beyond belief...she hated those moments. Those days were few and far between, but they were still existent. And that fact bothered her. It was like having a picture hanging crooked in the room, but being unable to straighten it despite all her efforts.

Regardless of her frustrations, Azula was quite content with how things were going exercise-wise. She was starting to fill out nicely. While she had never been particularly curvy before, she had in fact aged a bit since being in prison, and her body had definitely gone through some changes. Those changes could not be seen when she was suffering from mad delusions and malnutrition, but now they were starting to show through. She still had the same overall slender form, but her hips and chest now carried a supple curve, and the overarching effect was lissome, gracile, yet that deadly air never truly left her. She was starting to fall back into her prime.

Oh yes. Things were going very well.

But then those damn nightmares had returned.

They had started off small. Just little things. She would wake sweaty and gasping, yet without any recollection of what the dream had been about. She would know it had been a bad dream, but the details escaped her. Eventually, fleeting images started to creep into her dreams. Shadowy figures without detail or subtlety, all fuzzy and disfigured, their backs split with wings that rent the gloaming between them like paling shades or fallen gods with great horns curling about their heads, cast from the skies to tumble into a pit of pitch and curdling ice three times as deep as the heavens are high. The images would haunt her through the day, appearing when she least expected them. In sparkling riverbeds or pails of lucid water, reflecting back and snarling through their many rictus mouths.

Upon seeing them, Azula would freeze up, her blood running cold in her veins. But they would disappear immediately afterwards, leaving her with a lingering sense of anxiety and tenseness that would last through the rest of the day. The tenseness certainly didn t help, and she was sure that anxiety also only made the nightmares worse, building up like a cascade of water churning behind leaky floodgates. It was a snowball effect if ever she saw one. And the worse part was that Azula had no idea how to stop it.

Stomping up to the main road from the bay, Azula was carrying provisions back to the kitchens from a few of the many shops, sent out by the chefs like a pack mule. She grumbled to herself, shifting the bags over her shoulders. This morning, she had tied her long hair back into a loose tail that draped down her back in a single loose wave, yet a few strands of hair from her long bangs had somehow escaped and now tickled her chin and cheeks, even falling into her eyes. Currently, she couldn t fix her hair until she got back to her destination.

Well...she could put down the bags for a moment, fix her hair, then keep on going, but her stubbornness refused to allow her to do so.

As fate would have it, at that very moment a cry came up from behind her, followed by shrieks and gasps. The villagers, who had been just a moment before minding their own business, all looked up and started migrating towards the source of the commotion by the water, their slow footsteps turning into running, their curious faces turning into fear and horror.

With a puzzled frown, Azula craned her neck to look behind her. The water in the bay was a roiling mess, as though the water had leaped to life, thrashing back and forth, waves slapping against the sandy shore in uneven beats. Three kids who looked mighty familiar were out in the water, caught in the fiercely lapping waves, unable to get back to shore. Suddenly, an enormous serpentine figure reared up from the water, its brown scales shining in the light of the midday sun along with its very sharp rows of razour-sharp teeth.

Those bratty kids were messing around in the bay and had gotten themselves attacked by the Unagi. Great. What else could go wrong in her day?

A slight form suddenly rushed by her, dressed in green. It was Ty Lee, sprinting towards the bay, shedding her armour as she went and discarding layers of clothing that would weigh her down before leaping and diving into the water in a smooth arc.

Azula blinked. She watched, thunderstruck, as events unfolded before her. Ty Lee's lithe form darted through the water, dragged forward by her strong strokes; the girl certainly knew how to swim. She reached the three children in good time, but the Unagi was quicker. It lashed out, its head rushing down, jaws open wide. Ty Lee grabbed two of the kids by the scruffs of their necks, the other she shielded with her body, then kicked out hard, jetting them away from harm just in time. The Unagi crashed into the sea, narrowly missing its intended prey.

The crowd on the shore gasped in unison and a few frightened murmurs scattered between them. In the time that the Unagi's long sinuous body slid back beneath the water, Ty Lee had urged the kids back to the shore. Just as they were about to reach the safety of land, the Unagi burst from the water once more, looming over them, glaring with its eyes burning a furious emerald green. The children were still scrambling for the shore, but Ty Lee had frozen in place, fixed by that savage stare.

Azula felt something twist in her gut. It was a strange sensation, sinking and cold, gripping her with its frigid fingers. It was fear, but not fear for her own safety. For the first time she could recall, Azula was afraid for somebody else s life. More specifically, for Ty Lee s life.

_ Ty Lee..._

Before she knew what was happening, the bags had slipped from her shoulders and Azula was racing towards the water. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her breath was coming in ragged gasps from when she had been unconsciously holding it. Pushing through the crowd, Azula ignored the startled words and looks aimed in her direction; her eyes were locked on Ty Lee. As soon as she reached the shore, she leaped into the air, large plumes of blue flame erupting from her feet to rocket her over the water. At the peak of her rise, the fire from her feet died out and she dropped down onto the Unagi from above, fist flashing out wreathed in a sky-coloured blaze.

The Unagi gave a wailing screech of pain, flailing wildly. Before it could throw her off, Azula slid down the giant eel's ductile and strongly muscled body, running the last few strides to jump off its tail and into the water, coming up next to Ty Lee. Without a word, she pushed Ty Lee in the direction of the shore, splashing her face in the process and startling Ty Lee out of her sudden paralysis. They had only taken a few strokes through the water when a thick, scaly tail wrapped around Azula s middle and lifted her from the water.

Struggling in vain, Azula threw a thick gout of flame at the Unagi, which only screeched at her and snapped its jaws as it brought her closer. She glanced back. Ty Lee had reached the shore. Nobody was in the water except for herself and the Unagi. Drawing in a deep breath, Azula closed her eyes, collecting herself. When she opened them again, her hands crackled with blue thunder. In a swift, decisive motion, she brought her hands down onto the Unagi's head. Lightning shot all along its long body; Azula's own back arched and her head was thrown back as she gritted her teeth, muscles spasming in time with the Unagi's own writhing and thrashing.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Azula let the lightning die. She slumped against the muscled tail that held her, which loosened as the Unagi collapsed, twitching as it crashed back into the deep water. Vaguely, Azula could feel herself falling. She felt weightless, almost as though she were soaring. Wind whistled in her ears and her hair had come untied so that it streamed about her, lightly tickling her skin, like Ty Lee s hands on her back as they traced tender circles there, calming her into a peaceful sleep. But then her limp collection of limbs smacked into the water and she was sinking into a dark oblivion.

People were talking. She could hear them as somebody hauled her body out of the water, faint and in the distance, as though through a screen of smoke. There was a pressure on her chest, repeatedly pushing down. And then there was a soft touch on her mouth, gentle and filling her lungs with life.

Azula coughed and salty sea-water slipped from her lips. When she opened her eyes, it was to see a shadowy figure crouched over her, surrounded by countless others, just like those creatures in her nightmares. But her eyes focused, and suddenly it was Ty Lee in all her glory, wreathed in sunlight, her hair glowing soft and brown, her liquid grey eyes piercing and velveteen.

Azula looked up at her, gasping for air, still feeling like there was a huge weight on her chest, and weakly reached up to grasp Ty Lee's wet and slightly undone braid, "Ty Lee..." she whispered, pulling Ty Lee down, closer to her, "Don't ever do that again."

Fantastic. Now she had to dry her clothes out again.

Ty Lee smiled gently down at her, lips curling up slightly, her big eyes crinkled at the edges, "I promise, 'Zula," and she leaned down to brush a soft kiss across Azula's pale brow, "Thanks."

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><p><strong>Hope y all liked it! Until next time!<strong>

**-Kore**


	9. Chapter 9

**Salvete, omnes!**

**Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it? I have good excuses, though! Like moving. To another country. That's right. I'm living in Europe now. Studying Classics and Latin to my heart's content. Goodbye, America! I shan't see you for quite some time!**

**But! That doesn't mean that I should completely neglect my stories! So, here I am, revisiting this TyZula fic.**

**Also? I've been playing way too much Portal. I'm even thinking about writing a paper on it and submitting it to a gaming journal. I'm also contemplating writing a Portal fanfic. Thoughts? Would anybody like that? No? Yes? **

**Anywho, Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine. **

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><p>"I should punish you.<p>

Everything in my person is telling me to exact punishment; that unreasonable part of me is crying out for judgment for your actions.

But I won't. There would be no purpose.

You saved those kids. You saved one of my warriors. One of my _best_ warriors. I don't know why, but I'm hoping it was because there is something more to you than malice and malcontent. I'm hoping that you're growing into a better, more compassionate human being. Because that's what you are. In spite of my many reservations where you are concerned, Princess, I cannot deny your humanity.

I only saw the worst in you. Before. When you attacked me and mine. I only ever saw your cold villainy. You were reprobate and sinister. You had nothing of softness to you. Only vileness dwelled within you. But I saw something out there. I ran to the shore, when I heard the cries of the crowd. I can't lie-I was astounded by what I beheld.

You. Flying through the air on gouts of fire. My heart froze in my chest, then. I thought you had finally snapped. I thought you were going to kill us all. I thought I would live to see my home a flaming wreckage, a smouldering ruin. I thought that if I ever got my hands on Zuko, I would kill him, Firelord or not. He had insisted upon bringing you here. He had delivered this bane to my home and my people.

But when you descended from the sky, it was over the water, onto the Unagi. You made sure those kids got to safety. You pushed Ty Lee out of the way towards the shore.

You cannot hide from me, Princess. I saw the expression on your face when you looked at her. I saw compassion there. And a fierce yearning. I saw desperation. I saw anxiety and care, wrought like an affliction, so raw it made my own chest ache. You were afraid. But not for yourself. And not for those kids.

It was for _her_. It was all for her.

You almost died, you know. The Unagi lived through your lightning, but you almost didn't. You were willing to risk your own life for her.

She ran back into the water, swam after you as you fell into the waves. Nothing could have held her back. I went with her into the water, when I saw the determination and distress squaring her jaw, and we dragged you back from the ocean's grave. She cried out as she beat your chest, pressing down, refusing to let you die. We all thought you were going to die, but she fought us when we tried to make her stop. When you spat up half the sea from your lungs, she was radiant and elated as the sun.

And then she kissed you, chaste upon your brow. And it was perhaps one of the most tender things I have ever seen. Your face lit up, peaceful and composed, even as you drifted into an unconscious oblivion. In that moment, I knew that I would allow you to remain here, in spite of the risks, in spite of whatever you might do when you awoke. Even though I wanted to ship you back to the Fire Nation in chains, surrounded by an army of guards, I knew I would offer you sanctuary here in my home.

You may remain, Princess. I may not like it. My warriors may begrudge me for it. My friends and family and my people may think me mad for it. But you may remain. For as long as you wish. For as long as I am the leader of the Kyoshi warriors.

You have my gratitude and my respect. For now. Don't throw away this chance. You will only get it just this once. Lose it, and it will never again be available to you."

Uncrossing her arms, Suki exited the room, leaving Azula still asleep, curled among the covers of her futon.

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><p>"Wake up..."<p>

A gentle touch sent spikes of pain shooting through Azula's shoulder. Hissing, her whole body tensed, and she had to keep herself from rolling over in her futon too quickly, lest she further increase the pain. Lesions marked her form, running all across her skin, still healing. Kyoshi Island had no resident waterbender, so Azula's body had to heal naturally. The process was slow, and where her body did not outright hurt, it ached. The ache resided deep in her bones, seeping inward until she had to swallow and grit her teeth momentarily to wrestle the pain back under her control.

With a shallow groan, Azula opened her eyes. Sunlight streamed through the slots of her window, illuminating her gaze until it seemed to glow with a golden light. Gauze wrapped around her body, leaving only sparse stretches of pale skin. Her hair stuck up in odd places from beneath the fabric winding around her head, partly concealing her face; some contusions reached up her left cheek. She would only scar on the worst of the wounds, most of which were located around her arms and torso and upper legs.

A figure loomed over her, shadowy, with eyes that seared. But then it shifted, and the light no longer struck it from behind into a menacing silhouette. Instantly it transformed, features morphing into Ty Lee. Azula felt all the breath whoosh out of her then, a rushing cataract built up in her chest and released in a sudden wave.

"Wakey wakey, Princess," Ty Lee beamed down at her. Her face was radiant, but those large grey eyes were ineffably soft and carried a satiny gloss.

For a moment, Azula could only blink. Her mind whirred like a many-cogged machine, but no words came to her; her expression remained blank. The last thing she remembered was Ty Lee kneeling over her, skin glistening from their recent escapade in the water, wreathed in an aureate halo, like some spirit stepped from a world beyond worlds, a realm with a name unutterable. Flashes of other memories assaulted her. Memories of recovery, of being bound in gauze and struggling, fighting back thinking the gauze was in fact chains aimed at wrapping her up in their pale embrace, so that she would fall like a writhing limbless worm back into a prison cell located in the bowels of the earth. And then darkness had overcome her.

Until something awoke her just now. Or rather _someone_.

"The Unagi...?" Azula tried to sit up with a groan, the blanket falling to pool around her waist.

"Injured, but still alive," Ty Lee gently helped Azula up despite her protests of being able to do it on her own, "Similar to you, really."

"Those damn kids," Azula growled, teeth clenched as she slumped over her knees, careful to not put too much pressure on her sore chest, "None of this would have happened if _they_ hadn't been so idiotic."

A small smile quirked Ty Lee's mouth into a subtle slant, and she rubbed Azula's back affectionately. Though naked from the waist up, Azula's torso was such an interlocking mass of gauze; she resembled the mummified remains of ancient Earth Kingdom monarchs. Ty Lee was careful to not dislodge any of the bindings, allowing her fingers to instead idly stroke along them, tracing their long lines, "The parents of 'those damn kids' are very grateful for what you did."

Azula only snorted in response, disdainful. For a few long minutes, the two said nothing. Sleep tugged at Azula's eyelids, so that they wilted and drooped, and Ty Lee continued with her tender caresses. At last, Azula mumbled around her knees, "What are you doing?"

A pause fell between them before Ty Lee hastily filled it in with, "I'm checking your bandages. That's all." Her hands grazed a particularly sensitive spot, drawing a hiss from the princess, and Ty Lee squeaked, "Sorry! I'm sorry!"

Azula just waved her apologies away, "It's fine. Can I just go back to sleep?"

"Not yet," Ty Lee's gaze was wide with inexplicable sorrow, "The medic told me you need to move around. Just for a little bit. We wouldn't want you getting sores or anything like that from all the sleep."

_All the sleep? _A bewildered scowl angled Azula's brow, "How long have I been out?"

"Almost four days."

"Ugh. No wonder I feel like Death itself."

She did not notice the way Ty Lee's expression grew more melancholy at that statement, how she worried her lower lip between rows of small, white, even teeth. She did not notice how Ty Lee was suddenly studying her profile with great intent. Azula just ran her fingers through her wealth of dark hair and sighed.

But then she blinked and looked over at Ty Lee suspiciously, "Ty..."

"Hmm?" Ty Lee's face was back to how it normally looked, bright and inquisitive.

"How is it that I don't need a bath after all that time asleep?"

"Uhmm..." Ty Lee looked away, playing with the end of her thick braid-a nervous habit, "I..._may_ have made sure your, uhm...personal hygiene was properly looked after."

Wry amusement openly painted Azula's features, and she regarded Ty Lee with such a look that the girl could not keep the flush from rising in her round cheeks. Pink was such a lovely colour on her, so becoming, so Azula did not mind.

A knock at the door saved Ty lee from any further embarrassment. When the door opened, though, and two Kyoshi Warriors entered, the grin slipped swiftly from Azula's face and her eyes grew stony.

"Sorry to interrupt," one of the Warriors began, looking between the two, "but the parents of the children are here. They wish to convey their thanks to the two of you."

"Ooh!" Ty Lee positively leaped to her feet, "Of course we'll receive them. Come on, 'Zula. This will give you a reason to get up anyway."

The corners of Azula's mouth turned down and she did not respond. Instead, she just shot a sullen glare at the intruders before leaning her chin on her knees once more and refusing to meet their eyes. But she could not ignore Ty Lee gently tugging on her arm.

"Come on," she repeated with a small smile.

Azula could not ignore those large grey eyes urging her to her feet. With a huff, she took Ty Lee's hands and allowed herself to be helped to her feet. She winced, but she was able to stand without much trouble. Walking, however, proved to be something else entirely. She was able to muster a shambling hop towards her wardrobe, each movement bringing a grimace to her face. The Warriors did not glance away as Ty Lee assisted in dressing Azula, but the princess just continued to pretend that they weren't there; she was accustomed to being dressed in the company of servants, so why should these Earth Kingdom peasants make any difference? When one of them spoke, though, she felt a stab of irritation.

"How does she keep so fit?" one asked, tilting her head to admire the line of Azula's stomach to her long legs, "I'd have thought her muscles would have deteriorated in gaol."

"She sneaks out every day to practice in secret," Ty Lee announced, nonchalant. Azula gaped at her, but Ty Lee just replied, "Oh, don't be mad, 'Zula. I only followed to make sure you were alright. Besides, you're beautiful when you firebend."

Heat suffused Azula's face. The only response she was able to manage was a wordless growl as Ty Lee reached around her to tie a wide sash, a paler green to her dark verdant robe, with small decorative swirls in yellow silk along the border. Meanwhile the Kyoshi warriors grinned at one another, though they hid them when Azula's golden eyes flashed dangerously in their direction. Quickly, Ty Lee ran a brush through Azula's black hair, and Azula shifted uncomfortably in her garb; the cloth was catching and pulling on her bandages somewhat.

At last they were escorting the two downstairs, the pace slow because of Azula's physical impediments. When they finally emerged from the narrow stairs, Ty Lee and Azula were greeted by six people, all enthusiastically rushing forward to clasp Ty Lee's hands between their own, smiles wide, expressions open. Ty Lee returned their pleasantries with her usual cheeriness, all blithe graciousness and conviviality, while Azula glowered just behind her, as though hiding. Presumably these were the parents of those brats. Azula stiffened when one of them turned his attention upon her, reaching out as though to touch. But when she bared her teeth at him and snarled, he immediately stopped and backed away. The air in the room chilled then, growing stagnant and heavy. The six parents eyed the princess warily, reluctant to continue.

However, Ty Lee would have none of that.

She stepped into place just behind Azula and placed her hands above the princess' hips, applying just enough pressure forward so that Azula had to catch herself with one foot. Ty Lee leaned in close and murmured in Azula's ear, breath warm upon her partially bare neck. Fractionally Azula's amber eyes widened, "Don't be shy now. Just give them something to appease them."

Drawing herself up, Azula glanced over her shoulder at Ty Lee before turning back to the parents. She nodded curtly, meeting each of their gazes in turn. That must have satisfied them, for they returned her imperious stare with hesitant smiles before bowing and leaving, all filing out of main building together and returning to the nearby town.

"See?" Ty Lee remained too close, her hands still resting on Azula's narrow waist. One of her thumbs began to stroke along there, as though an absentminded gesture, "Was that so hard?" Azula grumbled something in return, distracted by Ty Lee's curious fingers through the layers of rough cloth and gauze. An affectionate smile split Ty Lee's face and she gestured with her head to the exit, "Come on. Let's go for a little walk."

They did not go far, but still Azula felt the ache settle deeper into her body in that short expanse. As she limped, Ty Lee slipped an arm around her waist to support her. As undeniably nice as it was to have Ty Lee so close, Azula could not help but tightly grasp the fabric of Ty Lee's apparel at a fresh wave of pain flooding through her from the contact. She said nothing, though, and soon they stopped at a bench in the shade of the main building, facing the river. Together they sat, silent.

Sunlight sparkled on the surface of the water, transmuted to a silvery flow. Birds flitted among the branches of the trees. Ty Lee's thigh pressed against her own. Azula could feel the warmth emanating from her friend's body. Along the base of the building, perennially cast in shadow, there grew feeble grass, pale and gripped with wild etiolation. Their limbs tickled the backs of Azula's crossed ankles in damp strands. A blue so faint so as to be white coloured the sky arching above. Azula's gaze remained fixed on the shadows along the opposite tree line, as though riveted in place, mesmerised. A breeze trickled along, pushing foliage about, and the unexpected movement made the once somnolent shadows leap into motion, cadaverous contours in a deathly dance. Suddenly, hellish stares squinted through the leafy bulwark; she could see shapes move in the background, pacing in the distance, stalking the earth like the half-lion half-man creatures spoken of in mythology.

Azula's breath caught and instinctively her hand clenched around Ty Lee's. The girl blinked and looked over at her quizzically. Her mouth moved, but no noise came. Azula was surrounded in a liquid haze, molten flame, and no sound could pierce the toothy parapets, their tongues flickering like spears of lambent darkness.

"Azula...?"

The princess jerked as the sound of her name. Drawing in a deep shuddering breath, she could not force herself to look away from the tree line, "How can you think my firebending is beautiful?"

Ty Lee frowned, confused, "What do you mean?"

"Fire destroys things," Azula stared at the shadows still prowling in the trees, "I destroy things," she whispered, forlorn, her voice hoarse.

But a gentle touch came to her chin, urging Azula to turn her face aside, and Ty Lee was cupping the Princess' cheeks between her hands, so soft and tender, "Fire is life. Without fire, there can be no new growth." Her eyes were suddenly so large and she was so close. Ty Lee brushed the tips of their noses together, a gentle smile across her pretty face, "When sitting still, you're beautiful, Azula. But when you firebend...When you move like that...It's breathtaking."

Something burned in Azula's chest, a great furnace, febrile, pyretic, driving her to near delirium. Ty Lee's eyes were deep recesses of the sea, threatening to swallow her whole. Her head swam and her vision grew blurry. Her teeth clenched, and she looked away, "Take me back to my room," she rasped, choking on her own voice, "I'm tired."

Silence. And then Ty Lee murmured sadly, "Alright."

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><p><strong>That's it for now, folks! Hope y'all liked it! If you have any questions, comments, concerns or complaints, then by all means please review or PM me :)<strong>

**Until next time,**

**-Kore**


	10. Chapter 10

**Salvete, omnes!**

**Well, I'm back. Time for more TyZula. Wooo!**

**Oh! That reminds me. I had a complaint that this story doesn't have any TyZula in it. Err...I don't know how to break it to you, anonymous reviewer, but there's more to romance than sex. Azula and Ty Lee may not have had sex in this story (yet), but that doesn't mean there's no romance. Physical intimacy will be reached in this story, though not too descriptively-I want to keep it T rated-but that will be later down the line. Besides, having the two characters jump into each other's arms without some good old fashioned stewing is no fun anyway. It's also not very realistic (I have a significant other-I remember our early days and the subsequent trials and tribulations of our first date. UGH. Luckily, my significant other is saintly. SAINTLY.)**

**In other words: patience, my lovely readers! Patience! All good things to those who wait :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine. **

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><p>Moving felt strange these days. Azula was still unused to the way her rough-spun clothing caught and tugged at her raised skin. Scars criss-crossed her chest and torso, great stripes shining pink. They remained slightly puffy, mostly healed, though they would take a while to settle. An intersection of two broad, ropey scars met just beneath her left shoulder blade, the worst of the lot, causing her discomfort when she attempted to achieve a full range of motion with her left arm. Other than that, though, the scars simply acted as an annoyance. They caught on her clothes, causing the cloth to bunch in odd places, which in turn made her shift and tug the garments back into place, only for the process to begin anew.<p>

While the scarring was vexing, she still counted herself as fortunate. The town medic had informed her that the greatest extent of her injuries lay in internal damage. Her organs, especially her heart, had definitely borne the brunt of the electrical damage. She was lucky to be alive, scars or no scars.

The scars were still annoying, though. And now she more firmly resembled Zuko. That thought alone made a sneer curl her lip. At least her face had been mercifully unblemished.

Azula resisted the sudden urge to scratch at her scars. They itched something fierce. Especially the one on her shoulder. It was located in just the wrong spot on her back, difficult to get to. The only way she could relieve the intense itch that often washed over her was to find a spare corner of the wall and rub up along it like a cat, back arched, face screwed up in a mixture of pain and relief. She tried to not do that very often-scratching felt like a brief glimpse of heaven, but afterwards it was replaced by an intense burning sensation that made her grimace.

Currently, she was lounging in the sun, draped across some of the steps of the bridge arcing over the nearby river. The day was a quiet one. Most of the days here on Kyoshi Island passed without much incident-barring recent events concerning the Unagi. It was a muted existence, like hearing a muffled sound through water. Azula was accustomed to the lofty lifestyle appropriate for Firenation Royalty, and while there was a certain measure of lethargy that accompanied such a living, it was nothing compared to _this_. Here the languor steeped into her bones like a disease gripping her skin with rot. It was maddening. Back home, Azula always had something to do, some goal to achieve, some purpose for which to strive. _Something_.

Here? Here was...

Well, what did she have here?

Azula sighed, head resting on the step above her, fingers laced across her stomach. The sun's rays beat down upon her, filling her with life, renewing her with vigour. She felt simultaneously soothed and rejuvenated. A hawk soared high above, wheeling in unseen currents of air. Thin wisps of cloud could not conceal the sun, and instead drifted listlessly across the sky.

At least this place was a far cry from her prison cell. And here she at least felt...different. There was something about this place. Something that made her feel more at ease, somehow, though for the life of her she could not explain why. That fact alone was infuriating. Incalculable things did not sit well with Azula; she liked to be able to examine and gauge every facet of occurrences around her, determine future movements, as though playing a game of Pai Sho, or computing her next move in war.

Blowing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, Azula sat up. Thought of her old life always managed to increase her restlessness. She stood and started to cross the bridge with the intent to retreat to her glade in the woods and practice her firebending. Only this week had she been feeling well enough to begin her lone practices once more; before, she had been too weak to perform such physical pursuits. Suki still had not yet started Azula on chores, but Azula certainly wasn't about to complain about that. She would try to put off servant's work for as long as she could. But in the meantime, that didn't mean she couldn't sneak off and keep up with her firebending-so long as Suki didn't find out. Then that would mean she was back to chores.

"And where do you think _you're_ going?"

Azula froze.

Slowly, she turned around, only to find Ty Lee standing at the base of the bridge, hands on her hips, smirking up at her. She was wearing her old pink silks today, instead of the Kyoshi Warrior under-robes she usually wore. Her expression was decidedly elfin.

"Nowhere," Azula lied, checking her fingernails in a display of false indifference. Her once finely manicured nails were cut short, chipped, and in much need of proper care, much to her distaste.

Ty Lee cartwheeled to her side up the bridge, but Azula pretended that she wasn't anywhere near her, even though that pretty face was grinning just next to her shoulder, "Nowhere wouldn't happen to be your little practice glade, now would it?" Ty Lee asked impishly.

"Of course not."

"Mmmhmm," Ty Lee's smile broadened, and, circling around Azula, she whispered, playful, "I don't believe you."

Azula rolled her eyes and feigned irritation, "If you must know, I was just going for a stroll. Honestly, Ty, I don't even see why you care. Don't you have Kyoshi Warrior tasks to attend to?"

Far too used to Azula's evasion tactics, Ty Lee just shrugged, "I have the day off. And you," she grazed her fingers across Azula's back as she walked around her, "shouldn't stress yourself too much yet."  
>Azula was about to retort, when Ty Lee's fingers hit that horribly itchy scar beneath her left shoulder blade, and her terse response was cut short. Instead, she tensed, eyes widening slightly, and her torso involuntarily underwent a strange series of movements, like the writhing of a snake as it wound through blades of grass. A sharp little gasp escaped her before she could stifle it, and when she heard it, she clamped her lips shut, still standing straight as an arrow.<p>

Ty Lee stopped and blinked at her, "That...shouldn't have hurt..."

"I-It-" Azula fished around for the proper explanation, finding herself stammering, "Well...I wouldn't say it _hurt_..."

Ty Lee looked puzzled for a moment, before comprehension dawned, "Ohhhh! Itchy scars, huh? Want me to take care of that for you?"

"That won't be necessary-"

But with a mischievous grin, Ty Lee began to softly scratch and Azula's every thought melted away at the glorious sensation. Her muscles loosened, and her eyelids drooped, and soon she was making low murmuring noises of approval. Ty Lee's movements slowed until she was merely rubbing her fingertips and palms across Azula's sensitive back in sweeping strokes, and the princess merely stood there, head lolling forward. Ty Lee leaned forward, going up on her tippy-toes to prop her chin on Azula's shoulder, "Feeling better?" she asked quietly, all the while continuing those gentle touches that lulled Azula into a pleasant haze.

"Mmmmm..." was Azula's only response.

Ty Lee laughed and took the opportunity to wrap her arms around Azula's waist and pull her in close. She leaned back without any complaint, her head still swimming in a warm mist. For a few moments, they just stood there atop the bridge, cast in bright sunlight, basking. Soon, though, a group of Kyoshi Warriors passed by the bridge, chattering amongst themselves loudly. Azula's head shot up and she pulled away, while Ty Lee let her go, reluctant. Golden eyes followed the group closely as they walked, and the Kyoshi Warriors never even seemed to notice the two on the bridge. Meanwhile Ty Lee shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot, pretending to fix her braid and very pointedly not looking Azula's way.

When at last the small band of Kyoshi Warriors had passed, Azula rubbed at her temples with her right hand, "Ty..." she sighed, "I think I'm going to go for that walk now..."

Azula hadn't so much as taken one step away when Ty Lee blurted out, "You can practice with me, 'Zula."

The princess stopped and frowned in Ty Lee's direction, "What-?"

"I mean it," Ty Lee's jaw was firmly set, and she almost seemed to glare up at Azula, so great was her conviction, "You should practice with me in the training room. It's always better to have a sparring partner."

"Ty-" Azula began, but she was interrupted.

"Besides," Ty Lee continued on firmly, "You're going to twist an ankle out there one day, or slip on damp grass, or something. You shouldn't be practicing on such uneven ground!"

"Alright."

"And what if a storm sneaks up on you and you're stuck out there? What if-"

"Ty, I said alright."

Ty Lee froze, mid wild gesticulation, arms above her head, "Oh." Azula quirked a dark brow at her, crossing her arms, a small smirk tugging at one corner of her mouth as she watched Ty Lee compose herself and cough into a fist, "Yes. Well," Ty Lee jerked a thumb over her shoulder, "then we should go."

And with that she turned on her heel and flounced away, all flutter and shine once more, flitting through the sunshine like a leaf spun by the wind. Azula smiled as she watched her go before shaking her head and following. Ty Lee skipped ahead, her feet flowing over the grassy earth like a breeze. Azula watched her, golden gaze drifting across the form beneath pink silks. Ty Lee moved like water, all water and fluid grace, a sylphidine creature, a siren luring mariners to the sea, and Azula found herself similarly dragged beneath the surface by her snares.

Together, they made their way to the training room. The building on a whole was relatively empty today. Cooks and a few servants milled about in the kitchens, but the Kyoshi Warriors, like Ty Lee, either had the day off, or were outside in town, enjoying the sunny day. So when Ty Lee slid the doors open, it was to an empty room awash with filtered sunlight through the paper walls. It had been some time since Azula had last been inside the training room, and noticeable changes had been made.

Azula stiffened and stood stock-still.

Tall mirrors now lined one wall, floor to ceiling. It was a typical practice in dojos and places of dance to enlist the help of mirrors in order to ensure proper form. Still, their abrupt appearance made Azula falter. Had she been out that long? How many other changes had been made that she hadn't yet seen?

"Ty...I don't..." her voice sounded small, "I don't think this is such a good idea..."

"Don't worry so much, 'Zula!" came Ty Lee's exuberant reply, "It'll be fun!"

At that, Ty lee grabbed Azula's hands and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind her. The clacking of the door against its rails sounded like a death-knell, like the clanging of prison gates. Azula's hands shook. She clenched them in an attempt to still them, to no avail. Ty Lee noticed nothing, flitting to the center of the room and performing warm-up stretches, her back to Azula.

Meanwhile, the princess merely stood there, rooted to the spot. Her eyes remained fixed on the mirrors directly across her, just behind Ty Lee. Shadows caught at the base swept upwards like sheets of ink trapped in liquid, bleeding darkness in wet tendrils like snakes, coils spilling out, creeping along the walls, curling across the rafters and hanging there like dead things with bulging eyes and twisted mouths. Ebon splotches dripped onto the floor and collected there in viscous gouges, like pits of hot tar. Then something moved in the shadows, wreathed in dark flame, streaked with raven pitch and sulphurous embers. Its eyes seared, pinpricks of gold; its shape monstrous, terrible to behold. It stepped forward through the mirrors dredged with smoke. Its mouth opened. A howl of terrible silence. It was the call of a crown of crows; it was the slow drip of hot tar down her breasts and thighs; it was the burned rivulets in her flesh hissing in thin vapours of stinging sulphur; it was the dark etching of curved tattoos in spiked designs across her form; it was the fierce glow of bright black gazes rising from her shadowed footsteps; it was the rasping of slinking winged furies crowding her wake; it was the sound of resonant despair, of chilling triumph.

It was her. Herself. Her own reflection, rising from a realm of the damned.

Her hand reached out, a hand she no longer recognized, taloned and atramentous, crushing the skull of a limp, faceless victim, and strewn all about a world livid with great reddened rents beneath an ashen sky were the bodies of the pitiless dead.

Ty Lee stretched her arms above her head amidst the dark flooded room, heedless. Her reflection turned its attention upon her, a wheeling glance, a wailing smote.

Azula's eyes widened. With a cry, she lashed out, flames erupting from her fist and striking her reflection full in the chest. It shattered, and the darkness shuddered, the shadows shrieking and recoiling, twisting and writhing. Sweeping her leg out in a broad kick, an arc of flame burst out, slashing a wide blow across the mirrors. Shards of glass flew, crashing to the floor, sticking in the walls. Azula did not even notice Ty Lee diving out of the way, shouting out to her, worry and surprise sculpting her features. Azula stepped forward and whirled around, her other leg plunged down in a hard strike, delivering another fiery blow to the opposite wall. She was caught in a frenzy she could not escape; it sucked her down in a cyclonic surge, her desperation only serving to fuel the descent.

When Ty Lee stepped in front of her, hands reaching out to stop her, Azula snarled and lunged forward. She gripped Ty Lee's wrists and forced her down until she Lee knelt on the bamboo floor before her. Azula loomed over her, eyes wide, glaring down, her breaths coming in heaving gasps. Small flickers of flame escaped her mouth, rising like smoke before her gaze, a gaze like liquid amber. Her grip on Ty Lee tightened. The overwhelming urge washed over her to let the fire loose, to allow it to rush from her in waves, to set the floor and walls ablaze, to drown in a sea of flame, to drag Ty Lee with her a thousand thousand leagues beneath the roaring waves, until cinders were all that remained, mere streaks of ash marring the place they marked. She grit her teeth, eyes squeezing shut. Tears burned at her lids, threatening to spill. A mixture of fruitless anger and desperation filled her, an anxious wrath, like that of a cornered beast, a wounded animal. She trembled and a low whine escaped her. She could feel the eyes of that monster scorching into her, emerging from the broken shards of the mirror and merging into herself until they were indistinguishable from one another.

But then she felt light touches on her cheeks. Her eyes snapped open and she looked up in confusion. Suddenly, she was the one on her knees, and Ty Lee was cupping her face between her soft hands-Azula had no idea how she got in this position; she didn't remember feeling Ty Lee escape her clutches.

Ty Lee had that look in her eyes. That damnable look. A mixture of tenderness and pity and something else Azula did not quite understand, the depths of which she could not fully comprehend.

"Stop," her words were a ragged plea, "Stop touching me."

She tried to pull away, but Ty Lee only brought her closer, leaning their foreheads together, "No," she murmured, her thumbs stroking over the high bluffs of Azula's cheekbones.

"You should fear me more," Azula whispered.

"Never."

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><p><strong>Hope y'all liked it!<strong>

**Until next time.**

**-Kore**


	11. Chapter 11

**And now for the penultimate chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: AtLA is not mine. **

* * *

><p>"Suki, she didn't mean to do it."<p>

"I want to believe that. I really do."

"You weren't there. You didn't see her – the look on her face...she was scared."

"Scared? That's what happens when she's _scared_? Is that the best excuse you could think of?"

"But -!" Ty Lee's words died in her lips, while her gaze still shone with a fervent light, burning with her resolve.

The two stood in the corridor outside Azula's room, whispering. The Fire Nation princess was inside – she had been subdued and complacent by the time people came running, Kyoshi warriors led by Suki at the head of the pack, behind whom trailed an uneasy looking medic bearing a small black case. They had found Ty Lee and Azula amidst the wreckage, the floor a shattered sea of glass. Nevertheless, Suki had ordered the medic into action, stepping forward with the aid of a few fellow warriors to hold Azula down while the medic sedated her. Azula had struggled briefly, scrambling back, shards of jagged glass digging into the soft skin of her palms. They had dragged her away then, depositing her atop her bed despite Ty Lee's protests.

Suki crossed her arms and sighed, "My practice room is in ruins. My warriors are frightened. They think she's snapped again. They think she's snapped again. They think she isn't safe to be around."

"They're wrong!" Ty Lee insisted hotly, fists clenched at her sides, "Azula is fine! She just needs more time!"

"Ty, she's unstable. She could go of at any moment and we wouldn't know why. She can't stay here."

"No! Please!" Ty Lee begged, her eyes large, shining and imploring, "This place is good for her! She's getting better, I can tell –!"

But Suki was beyond such heartfelt appeals, resolute, "I'm sorry, Ty, but this is something that needs doing," she said sadly, "And I think your feelings are impairing your judgement."

Ty Lee, though, only screwed up her face in confusion, "Feelings? What are you talking about?"

"Only a fool wouldn't be able to see the way you look at her."

"But...I'm –"

"Hopelessly in love?"

A flush rose to Ty Lee's cheeks, and she stammered fiercely, "I don't –!"

Suki stared, then shook her head incredulously, "You don't even know it yourself, do you? I'm sure your princess doesn't know herself, either. But it's plain as day." She stepped closer, lowering her voice to a hushed whisper, "I can only give you two weeks at most. Make the best of it."

And then she was walking away.

"Wait!" Ty Lee called to her retreating back; desperation coloured her words now, "Two weeks until what?"

Suki paused only to reply shortly, "Until Azula is taken back to the Fire Nation."

* * *

><p>Ty Lee wouldn't look at her.<p>

At first Azula thought it was because of what commenced in the training room. Surely Ty Lee was angry with her for destroying it. But after dropping several hints, Ty Lee seemed more than happy to discuss the training room's imminent rebuilding – apparently Suki had already started the process, and the training room would be ready for use once more within the week. Puzzled, Azula pressed on, asking after Ty Lee's own health and state of mind. Then Ty Lee clammed up, and Azula knew immediately what the problem was.

Ty Lee was angry at her for the attack itself, not the damage done. That must be the problem. And this put Azula at a distinct disadvantage.

Azula had no idea how to right wrongs. She had never been taught how to properly apologise; royalty did not apologise. She could vaguely remember saying 'sorry' to Ty Lee before, but it had been brief, abruptly delivered, and so it was that now Azula all but wrung her hands, trailing after Ty Lee like a lost puppy, seeking a means to placate her, to liven her mood, but not knowing exactly how.

She did not know why and would not have been able to explain if asked why she felt the need to make Ty Lee happy. Something tugged at her gut, something that urged her to act.

Meanwhile, Ty Lee went about her business, shooting Azula odd looks every so often. She had been present when Azula had awakened earlier that morning, eyes peeling open, groggy. She had greeted Azula with a soft sad smile, but had not said anything. In fact, Ty Lee had remained unusually quiet for most of the day, speaking only when spoken to, never talking for long, her words a low murmur, like a distant wind through mountain pines. And the way she would steal glances at Azula, looking away as soon as her gaze was discerned...

It was all terribly disconcerting.

The sun was beginning to slip down to the horizon. Azula could feel its waning rays, heralding the night. Ty Lee had vanished after dinner, slipping away from the rest of the group before Azula had finished her meal. After hastily scarfing down her food, hands still clumsy from injury, Azula had immediately gone in search of her, only to see her crossing the little stream nearby.

Passing over the bridge in pursuit, Azula glanced into the water below. The surface vaguely reflected back to her. She hesitated, feeling her body tense. But it was just a reflection. There was nothing special about it, no eldritch qualities to haunt her.

She blinked and her reflection blinked back. Dark circles banded the skin beneath her golden eyes. She appeared frail and wan in the moonlight. Just a girl.

The water blurred. Clouds boiled above. A patter of rail began to fall, a soft drizzle. Suddenly Azulla wished she had brought her cloak.

Turning from her reflection, she continued onward, into the wood, following Ty Lee's fading footsteps, faint prints in the soil. The thick boughs of the trees shaded her from rain and moonlight, but her eyes picked out the path through the gloom. She walked in silence, moving soundlessly through the forest. She had not the dancing step of Ty Lee; her grace held far more lethality, a hunter's prowl, shoulders rolling with every padded footfall.

The path was one she knew well, for it led to the hidden clearing where she practised her firebending without disturbance. Apparently it was not as hidden as she had originally thought.

As she approached the glade, the trees abruptly thinned. The trunks of those sentinel to the clearing bore deep scars, scorched black, as did the earth. Often Azula had burned the trees in order to redirect the flame, going over the many different forms. Now, however, it merely looked like the remains of a rampant forest fire, ugly and marred.

Ty Lee stood at the very edge of the tree line, leaning upon one scarred trunk. She fiddled with the braid over her shoulder, one foot crossed, toe-down, behind the other ankle.

"Beautiful night," Azula remarked, coming to lean against a nearby tree, arms crossed, so that they stood side by side, by a few hand-breadths.

Ty Lee merely hummed wordlessly in response.

Toeing the dirt, not knowing what to say, Azula floundered. She bit her lip and regarded Ty Lee askance, but Ty Lee held a steady gaze to the clearing, never seeming to blink.

With a deep breath to steady herself, Azula began, "Look, Ty, I'm..." she cleared her throat and looked anywhere but her subject in question, "I'm terrible at this sort of thing," she muttered almost to herself. She sighed, running a hand through her hair, then continued, "I'm sorry –"

But before she could finish, she was cut off mid-sentence.

A flurry of movement and Ty Lee was suddenly there, one hand in Azula's hair, fingers winding through the ebon dark strands, the other at her neck, pulling Azula down even as she herself rose up on her toes, so that their mouths pressed together, hurried, insisted.

When Ty Lee eventually pulled away, her voice was ragged, punctuated by heady gasps, "I just," her hands, so infrequently idle, smoothed Azula's mussed hair and straightened her robe. Azula found it difficult to concentrate while Ty Lee's fingers toyed with her sash, and she found she was leaning closer in spite of herself, "I just thought...thought I should do that before you leave."

Azula stood breathless and speechless. It took a moment for her to precess the words, "What do you mean, '_before I leave'_?" she demanded sharply.

Ty Lee looked like she was not going to answer, but Azula repeated her question more firmly this time, "Ty, what do you mean?"

Ty Lee stared at the space around Azula's collarbone and refused to look up and meet her eyes. Her words rushed in a torrent, as though in a confession, "I've been meaning to tell you all day, 'Zula. I really have. But I couldn't bring myself to. I don't want you to go. I like having you around, but that's selfish of me, and I can't make you stay. Especially not when Suki has made up her mind. Though I wish I could. You seem to be doing so much better here, and going back to the Fire Nation can't be any good for you; I'm sure of it."

Azula's mind reeled, dumbstruck by the burst of information.

Spirits, were those tears in Ty Lee's eyes?

Panic began to flood her, as it always did whenever Ty Lee's gaze shone wet and her lower lip trembled. Unsure of what to do, she haltingly raised her bandaged hands and placed them on Ty Lee's back. The touch seemed to have some effect, but not necessarily the one she sought, for Ty Lee crumpled against her, wrapping her arms around Azula's waist, burying her head in the crook of her neck. Stunned, Azula slowly and soothingly – she hoped – rubbed Ty Lee's back, palms gliding over cloth; she could feel the narrow wings of those shoulderblades.

Swallowing to clear her throat, she said, voice sounding thick even to her own ears, "Don't cry, Ty. You know I can't stand it when you cry. Everything will be –"

She wanted to say 'fine,' but the word wouldn't come.

* * *

><p><strong>Until next time!<strong>

**-Kore**


	12. Chapter 12

**This is it, folks! **

** Enjoy!**

** Disclaimer: AtLA is not mine.**

* * *

><p>"Did you enjoy your time at Kyoshi Island?" Zuko asked, tentatively trying to break the tense silence between them, to engage his sister in some way, any way.<p>

Azula stared down at the island shrinking to a green shell among the waves, the size of her thumb. Together they stood on the deck of the Fire Lord's aircraft, which rose in the sky, bearing them to the Fire Nation. The thought of returning turned her stomach.

"Are you going to throw me back in a cell?" she rasped.

"No," he answered calmly, "No, I don't think gaol is the right place for you."

"You can't just let me wander free."

"I have absolutely no intention of letting you roam free."

"Then what are you going to do with me?"

Zuko seemed to ponder her question for a while. Clouds streaked by them, cold puffs of wet condensed air, "How would you like to serve as a member of my personal council?"

At this, Azula blinked, surprised, "You can't be serious."

"No, you're right. I'm joking. Comedy is my true calling," he retorted dryly.

She snorted, arms crossed, "Nobody would allow it."

"It's _my_ council. I can fill it with whomever I want."

"I would make a terrible advisor."

He shrugged, "You're still one of the smartest people I know."

"The Avatar –" she began.

But Zuko cut her off, "Aang won't complain. He knows perhaps better than anyone the power and price of redemption."

"I can't," Azula insisted, her voice growing ragged. She turned her amber gaze upon him, filled with a deep melancholy, "I'm broken, Zuzu. I can't..."

He did not reach out to touch or comfort her in any way. Instead he remained still, hands clasped behind his back, standing straight and tall as her looked over the railing and onto the sea below. His long hair trailed around his shoulders in a breeze. Clad in his royal outfit, he looked more like their father than ever before, but for the kindness in his face, "If there's anything that I've learned, it's that nothing is beyond repair," his voice softened slightly, "No one is ever truly lost. Not even you."

She took a few moments to steady herself, eyes sliding shut, "What if I don't want the position? What if I refuse to take it?"

"That's your choice. I won't force you to do anything. But there are certain perks to the job, should you accept."

Interest piqued, she asked, "Such as?"

"Your own personal aircraft."

"I thought you said you weren't going to let me roam free."

"And I meant it. But," and he did look at her then, the barest hint of a smile on his scarred face, "While the captain and crew will have strict instructions as to where to take you and when, I'm certain they could be convinced to make _one_ extra little stop on your many travels between Republic City and the Fire Nation."

Azula fell quiet at this information, mulling it over.

Zuko continued, "In fact, I hear Kyoshi Island is beautiful in autumn." He turned to leave, parting only with the comment, "Consider my offer."

* * *

><p>"Councilor?"<p>

Azula's amber eyes shot open. She knelt before a small altar of flame in her cabin, basking in the dancing glow. Long robes in rich, dark reds sheathed her knife-thin body. She did not wear the top-knot of royalty, but her hair was elegantly held back from her face in a simple gold clasp, allowing the length of it to fall down her back in a loose black wave. She had recently attended affairs in Republic City, still in constructions. Upon boarding her aircraft, she had retreated to her cabin for some quiet meditation. She was not aware of how many hours had passed.

"What is it?" she asked without turning around.

One of the guards that had entered the room announced, "We have arrived."

A scowl of confusion creased her brow, and she angled her head to the side, "We can't be in the Fire Nation yet. These vehicles are fast, but not _that_ fast."

"Not the Fire Nation, Councilor. Kyoshi Island."

Azula froze. Her breath caught in her chest, fastened there like a stone, "I'll be right there," she managed.

The two guards bowed and left to stand sentry at her door, to accompany her wheresoever she went.

The flames on the altar flickered, making the air unbearably hot, though Azula bore not the faintest sheen of sweat. She breathed deeply, and the flames roared. Standing, she strode from the room and, flanked by her guards, made her way to the deck.

The aircraft was descending swiftly from the clouds, and it seemed the ground and sea were swelling up to meet it. Kyoshi Island was a russet gem of autumn nestled in the lapping ocean. Gusts of stiff wind tore at Azula's robes, revealing pale wrist, trousers tucked into boots tooled with gold, and the high collar brushing her jaw shivered.

At last the ship touched down and the winds slowed to a mild breeze.

Villagers had begun to emerge from their homes; they milled about the beach, regarding the aircraft with curiosity. It was entirely unlike Azula's first trip here. Now there was no retinue of warriors to greet her, and the guards flanking her did not hold her wrists in bonds.

Yet even now the mild sunshine felt like a refreshing draught to a man dying of thirst.

Azula disembarked to the shore, all the while searching for a certain someone.

There.

Pushing through the narrow crowd. A flashing dart with prancing steps.

Ty Lee threw her arms around Azula's neck with a smile broad and effulgent as the sun at noon. Initially Azula stiffened, an automatic reaction to physical touch, and one she was still unable to suppress. But after a moment she relaxed, her arms winding around Ty Lee's waist.

"Good to see you too, Ty," she muttered, sarcasm a default remark to any form of discomfort.

At this, Ty Lee stepped back with a grin, "I got the weekend off. And, uh, _requisitioned_ a house for us. I thought my room would be too small for the two of us."

"Suki was feeling generous, I see," Azula murmured, "Speaking of, we should go before she arrives."

"Trying to escape a simple greeting, Princess?" Suki herself stepped out from the crowd; speak the devil's name and she appears. A small smile adorned her features, though, "Where I'm from, an exchange of simple pleasantries is only to be expected."

"It's Councilor now," Azula pointed out, "And it is a pleasure to see you again. Though I wonder why you're so hospitable, when not long ago you were all but pushing me off the island."

Suki inclined her head, "Visiting the island is fine. Especially as Councilor to the Fire Lord. But living here as a potentially insane patient? Well...Some political rearranging needed to be done, is all." She shrugged unapologetically, "In any case, your brother sent word of your arrival. And," she teased, "if you'd like to perform your old cleaning duties, I'm sure the cook would be thrilled. The kitchen's a mess, I hear."

"Just like old times," Azula replied dryly.

The crowd was beginning to lose interest and dissipate. Meanwhile Ty lee tugged on Azula's arm, demanding her attention, "Come on! I want to show you the house!"

And she skipped off, dragging Azula by her long sleeves. Rather than head in the direction of the town, however, she started towards the woods. Looking over her shoulder in confusion, Azula saw Suki chatting with her guards before she herself was enveloped by the dense tree line.

"Ty, where on earth are we going?" she asked, almost tripping on her hems, cumbersome as they were.

But Ty Lee merely winked, "You'll see."

The forest floor was a dappled array of sunlight and fallen vegetation, all golds and oranges and reds, a burning bristling scene. They had not been walking long, when they arrived at Azula's old practice clearing. But in the middle of the glad stood a house. None too large. Two stories tall. The wood had been freshly hewn, still smelling of the ax, the sweet scent of cedar and pine. A stone well had been dug on one side and an herb garden on the other. It was shabby, and crude, and parochial.

And in spite of her upbringing, her initial reservations, Azula loved it.

Schooling her features into a stern look, she turned, "Ty. You've ruined my perfectly good training grounds."

"Ugh! You're such an old sourpuss!" Ty Lee huffed, "Just admit you love it."

Ignoring her instead, Azula asked, "How long did it take to build?'

"Not very long at all. Apparently this was the location of an old shrine. The foundations were all there under the earth. I just pushed the project and," Ty Lee shrugged, "rebuilt atop it."

Azula hummed wordlessly, contemplative, "May we –?" she gestured towards the building after a moment of consideration.

"Of course, silly!" Ty Lee laughed, "It's yours, after all."

It was strange: most of Azula's life had been spent in opulent palaces, works of staggering architecture, yet when she walked into this cozy little building, for the first time it felt like home.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you all so much for staying with this story to the end. It was, as always, a pleasure.<strong>

** -Kore**


	13. EPILOGUE

**I thought I was done with this pairing and this story, but apparently not. And so I present to you an epilogue. (High T rating in one section; ye be warned)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: AtLA is not mine.**

* * *

><p>She counted breaths, and each held a different timbre.<p>

There the inhalation broad, lungs pushing membranes against bone, chest expanding outward in all directions, a brimming breath.

There a breath controlled, tapping the seconds with her fingers at each point – the high holding and the low shallows, briny water trapped in tidal pools, subject to the whims of astral bodies.

The counting began at an early age, even with things not pertaining to breath. As a child she would count tiles on rooftops, and buttons on the uniforms of servants. She would collect stones – smooth riverbed slate and pale jade – and line them up on her windowsill, a process which began with stealing one of Zuko's shell discoveries at Ember Island one young summer, and which ended with her pockets constantly clinking with pebbles and purloined trinkets, followed around by Ty Lee, who had turned into a loyal recruit and scout, her grey eyes keen for things that sparkled, ever flighty and light as a bird.

Azula liked to keep mementos of her conquests in those days, going so far as to mark those old stones with some symbol, letter or word and scurry them neatly away to be counted and recounted, alone in the dark evening of her bedchamber. One she had been particularly sore to lose – a rock that resembled a twisted lump of coal, which she had clenched in her fist while watching Zuko's Agni Kai with their father. She idly wondered where that memento had run off to? Zuko probably had it thrown out with all of her other belongings upon his ascension to Fire Lord and her descent into the asylum.

But the absence of her old tokens just mean the hoarding of new ones, new memories to be cherished and folded away into secret compartments sewn into robes. At one point during her stay on Kyoshi Island Azula had acquired a plain wooden box, in which she had begun to store her little tokens. Somehow that box had found its way into her new home – Ty Lee, the likely culprit – and Azula found herself once again pouring over her ever growing collection. Something to keep her sane, the counting, the breathing, the dragon's careful hoard.

Different tokens for different memories. Different breathing for different activities.

The first time out of prison she was able to once again perform a kata, which even she had found difficult at the age of thirteen – just entering her prime – she felt the old familiar rush of a form mastered, a foe vanquished; the war was lost but there still remained figurative territory to be regained. Her teeth gritted in a feral grin of delight, air taught in her chest, and she thumbed a squarish cut of quartz half buried in the earth nearby.

The first time she gave in to Ty Lee's pestering and joined the Kyoshi Warriors during one of their training exercises, she felt a foreign sense of belonging. She couldn't for the life of her remember the last time she had felt such a thing, especially not in an Earth Kingdom backwater like Kyoshi Island. Her little cottage with Ty lee was something else altogether, a globe unto itself, outside of any nation. But that one day sent a strange pang skidding through her, the slip of logs in a fire and the resultant burst of embers and sparks. All the other warriors except Ty Lee and Suki had seemed nervous about Azula's presence, but three-quarters of the way through their hours of sparring their anxieties evaporated.

"Do you know how I beat you?" Azula asked, standing over the prone form of Suki.

"You were faster than me," Suki groaned, sitting up and rubbing her lower back with a wince.

"No," Azula snapped, "You were lazy. Stand up! We will do this again until you get it right."

Their audience, the Kyoshi Warriors sitting to one side of the room, watched as Suki rose to her feet and dropped into a stance.

"Not like that," Azula slapped one of Suki's thighs with the blunt edge of her closed fan, "You're sitting too low."

"This is the stance I was taught!" Suki insisted.

Crossing her arms, Azula sniffed dismissively, "A stance for Earthbenders, but you're no Earthbender. Earthbending forms are powerful, but lack finesse. You need to be able to move with agility and absolute precision, while retaining your center. Now," she barked, fixing Suki with a fierce amber glare, "light on your feet, yet firm in your stomach! Try to actually use those breathing exercises you practice every day! Feel your breath fuel your actions and strike me down! Or would you rather I put you flat one your back again?"

Where Zuko would have whined and cringed as a child, Suki's expression hardened, her eyes steely. She shifted her weight from her heels, gathering her center higher into her diaphragm. There followed a flurry of movement, an exchange of rapid blows, and suddenly Azula was staring up at the wooden ceiling, winded.

She didn't know who looked more surprised, Suki or herself.

With baited breath the Kyoshi Warriors watched, eyes wide, waiting for Azula to crack, to leap to her feat and lash out. Instead she pointed at Suki from where she lay on the ground and croaked, "Yes. Perfect."

The tension fled the room, and the Kyoshi Warriors laughed good-naturedly. Smiling and shaking her head, Suki gripped Azula's outstretched hand and hauled her upright.

On the walk back to their cabin that night, Azula plucked a blue-veined rock from the river, drying it off discreetly with the hem of her sash.

Sitting now in front of the heart of her home, legs crossed, the roughly-hewn box wedged between her knees, Azula moved to pick up the blue-veined rock in question, but a pink ribbon curled in the corner caught her attention instead. She hesitated and swallowed thickly at the sight of it.

Memories of touches in the shadows, breath erratic and thready, all heady gasps, air snatched between fingers clutched in cascades of silky hair. Ty Lee, always the one to initiate stolen pecks on the cheek and deep open-mouthed kisses alike, pressed beneath her into the sheets of their too-narrow bed as if it were the most natural position in the world, as if Azula were the aggressor in their physical intimacies, which they both knew wasn't true – at least not _yet._ She was trembling and sweaty and at a complete loss for words and impetus, which she couldn't recall ever being, as Ty Lee guided her hands, nudging her chin up to latch her mouth onto Azula's neck and such at the rapid pulse there, rolling her hips up as Azula grasped at her narrow waist, breath caught in her throat. Then a toned leg hooking around, and Azula was flipped, their positions reversed. Ty Lee's palms smoothed over skin, evoking small twitching noises, until Azula tugged her down with an impatient growl, closing the distance between them.

Later, when she thought Ty Lee was sound asleep and not looking, Azula stashed the pink ribbon Ty Lee used to ornament her hair beneath their pillow, combing her fingers through that brown wealth of loose tumbling plaits, making Ty Lee murmur sleepily and snuggle closer.

Winding the ribbon between her fingers now, Azula's thumb worried a patch threadbare as she continued perusing. She tipped the contents of the box, splaying the many trinkets and oddities on the floor before her. The fireplace crackled, a comforting glow in the lonely midnight hours.

A gold coin glittered among them, marking her birthday last year. Ty Lee had arranged for a surprise party, and she hadn't known. They were making their way through the woods after a sunlit stroll along the beach, and Azula stiffened, grabbing Ty Lee's arm and putting herself in front, "Intruders are in our house," she hissed, ducking low and creeping forward..

"No -! Wait, 'Zula, don't -!" Ty Lee tugged at Azula's sleeves to no avail.

When Azula kicked down the front door, poised to strike, she was frozen in place by the loud chorus of "Surprise!" and showers of uncooked rice thrown from fists pelted her.

"Sorry!" Ty Lee whimpered, voice pleading and penitent at Azula's wide-eyed stare.

Even Mai was there among the Kyoshi Warriors and various villagers, though Zuko and his Avatar friends were nowhere to be seen – except for Sokka, who was visiting Suki and tagged along. Not that she minded; she saw enough of that lot when traveling as one of the Fire Lord's Councilors to Republic City, still under construction. Azula did her best to avoid any conversation, arms cross, looking sullen and unapproachable, but Ty Lee dragged her over to Mai and struck up an animated chat, speaking as much with her hands as she did with her words. Meanwhile Azula and Mai eyed one another askance.

Azula's glance skimmed down to Mai's heavy stomach, "How's pregnancy?" she asked.

"Terrible," Mai replied with her typical deadpan tone, "My feet are swollen to the size of airships, and Zuko won't stop fussing like an old woman."

Azula snorted, but before she could respond, the singing began, and a cake emerged from the crowd. Sokka sang particularly loudly and off-key, his arm around Suki's shoulder, who winced but grinned all the same. Azula blinked down at the lit candles. Was she eighteen already? When had that happened?

A deep breath, low enough to feel constrict her gut, and the candles spluttered out. One of the Kyoshi Warriors handed Azula a slice, proclaiming that she had helped make it herself.

Grudgingly Azula took a bite, "Too sweet," she grumbled.

She ate the entire thing anyway.

The gold coin reflected the fire's dancing light, liquid bright. In a fanning array lay the many knick-knacks, the collection of her life's work. She stared down at them all, counting, brooding. How few the trinkets seemed now. Surely there was more to her than this.

A creak of hinges, and a blast of autumnal air, Southerly winds sweeping up, bearing promise of the winter year. Then the gentle dancer's steps, all prance and frolick and no severity – Ty Lee home early, bearing a basket of food freshly bought. Ty Lee did all the cooking. Once Azula had made an attempt at cooking with disastrous results. Never again.

"Hi there!" she greeted cheerily, and Azula's only response was a low grunt. Placing the basket on the kitchen counter, Ty Lee padded over to the hearth, kneeling at Azula's back and draping her soft arms around Azula's neck, "What's wrong?" she asked, playfully nipping at Azula's ear.

"Nothing," Azula muttered, stroking the ribbon wound around her fingers, "This just...It isn't what I imagined."

"Oh, my ribbon! I was wondering where that'd gone!" Ty Lee reached for Azula's hands, chin propped on one of Azula's shoulders, and toyed with her fingers. When Azula said nothing for a few moments, Ty Lee announced cheerily, "I brought you a present," and with an almost sorcerous sleight of hand Ty Lee produced a glass marble, a gold and crimson cat's eye, "Here. Add it to your collection."

Azula frowned at the marble, "It doesn't work that way, Ty. There needs to be an occasion to commemorate."

With a broad and somewhat evil smile, Ty Lee turned Azula's head and pulled her in for a deep kiss. When they parted and Azula was panting and breathless, eyes half closed and cloudy, Ty Lee murmured, "Then let's make some memories."


End file.
